Taking their case to the UN Security Council, Palestinians called on Wednesday for Israeli leaders to be tried for war crimes after a deadly missile strike on Gaza city.
Following worldwide condemnation of the attack that killed a wanted Hamas leader and 14 others, including nine children, Palestinian U.N. observer Nasser al-Kidwa said the world needed to stop Israel actions whether on the ground or in the political sphere or in the courts.
In response, Israel's deputy ambassador, Aaron Jacob, expressed "great regret" at the deaths but said the action was precipitated by the failure of the Palestinian Authority to stop "one of the most prolific and brutal terrorists," Salah Shehada, the target of the attack.
Saudi Arabia, the current chairman of the Arab group at the United Nations, called for the emergency council meeting to condemn the raid and adopt a resolution demanding the "withdrawal of the Israeli occupying forces from Palestinian cities." The document does not mention suicide bombings against Israelis except to call for an end "of all acts of violence."
U.S. officials said Washington would oppose the draft resolution if put to a vote. But Western diplomats said revisions of the draft might yet result in adoption before the end of the week.
However, U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said past council resolutions formed a "more than adequate basis to achieve a solution to the Middle East question" and the world should turn its attention to "constructive diplomatic efforts."
TWO STATES
Reiterating President Bush's goal of two states living side by side in peace within secure borders within three years, he said the Security Council also had to address the action of Hamas and other "terrorist" groups in the region.
"We should question why they are not more often a focus of council attention," he said. But Negroponte noted the Bush administration had condemned as "heavy-handed" action that did not help the cause of peace.
All council members said the raid was unacceptable and risked squashing all peace efforts. Typical was Irish Ambassador John Ryan, who said an attack of this sort was bound to cause casualties. "To suggest anything otherwise is disingenuous," he said.
Al-Kidwa told the council that "this Israel assault presents the first blatant war crime" since the new International Criminal Court came into force on July 1.
He said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and "his lieutenants" committed acts that fit the statutes of the tribunal, although legal experts say the court's many regulations would prevent an Israeli leader from being tried.
Al-Kidwa said Sharon tried to portray his acts as a response to suicide bombings. But in reality Sharon wanted to block any serious peace settlement "so that the occupation and the colonization of settlement activities could continue."
In an obvious reference to the United States, he said that those who did not confront Sharon made matters worse and resulted in "a lot of motion without any real movement" as "avoiding the truth is not going to make it disappear."
Israel's Jacob said that if the result of the raid were known in advance, the army would never have carried out the operation.
"What is needed is for the Palestinian Authority to act, to relieve Israel of the burden of acting against terrorists."
(China Daily July 25, 2002)
