New York, Jan 07: The UN Security Council has held a high-level emergency meeting as international pressure mounts for an end to the 11-day Israeli offensive in Gaza.
At Tuesday's four-hour council meeting, virtually every Arab speaker denounced the Security Council's failure to adopt a legally binding resolution to stop the Israeli offensive and demand a durable cease-fire.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal said that the council's "deafening silence" placed "a big question mark" over its credibility "and the entire system of international security."
The Security Council scheduled another meeting for Wednesday morning, which many Foreign Ministers are expected to attend to try to reach consensus on a resolution.
Meanwhile, UN chief Ban Ki-moon yesterday
said that he was "deeply dismayed" by Israeli military strikes on
the three UN-run schools in the Gaza Strip that claimed dozens of
lives and called them "totally unacceptable."
"These attacks by military forces which endanger UN
facilities acting as places of refuge are totally unacceptable
and must not be repeated," he said in a statement.
"After earlier strikes, the Israeli government was
warned that its operations were endangering UN compounds," Ban
noted. "I am deeply dismayed that despite these repeated
efforts, today's tragedies have ensued."
Tuesday's third Israeli attack killed 43 people who
had sought shelter in a UN-run building at the Jabaliya
refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to medics.
"Today's events underscore the dangers inherent in
the continuation and escalation of this conflict," the UN
Secretary-General said. "I call once again for an immediate
ceasefire."
Earlier, the United Nations demanded an
investigation into the deadly strikes near UN-run schools and
into other civilian deaths in the Israeli onslaught on the
Hamas-run Palestinian enclave.
"These tragic incidents need to be investigated,
and if international humanitarian law has been contravened,
those responsible must be held accountable," said Maxwell
Gaylard, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian
territories.
But Israel said that an initial Army
probe showed mortar fire may have come from a UN-run school in
Gaza where dozens of people were killed in an Israeli strike.
Bureau Report