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Last update - 07:35 04/01/2009
U.S. quashes Arab-backed Gaza cease-fire resolution in UN Security Council meet
By Shlomo Shamir and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents, and News Agencies
Tags: Israel News, Hamas, Israel 

The United States thwarted an effort by Libya on Sunday to persuade the UN Security Council to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after Israel launched a ground invasion, diplomats said.

Several council diplomats told reporters that the U.S. refusal to back a Libyan-drafted demand for an immediate truce at a closed-door emergency session had killed the initiative, since council statements must be passed unanimously.


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The text by Libya, the only Arab member of the council,expressed "serious concern at the escalation of the situation in Gaza, in particular, after the launching of the Israeli ground offensive" and called on all parties "to observe an immediate ceasefire."

Arab nations demanded Saturday night that the UN Security Council call for an immediate cease-fire following Israel's launch of a ground offensive in Gaza, a view echoed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The United Nations Security Council held emergency consultations late Saturday to address the escalation of violence in Gaza.

French UN Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert told reporters ahead of the closed-door emergency council session that he did not know if the Libyan draft would get the backing of all 15 council members, which is required for it to pass.

Riyad Mansour, the permanent Palestinian observer to the United Nations, told reporters that it was the council's responsibility "to bring Israel into compliance and to stop this aggression immediately."

"Israel cannot continue to behave as a state above international law - this is the law of the jungle," he said.

Mansour added that it was crucial for the council to adopt a statement calling for an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

It was not clear if Washington would back the Libyan text in its current form.

The United States and Libya have clashed repeatedly on the Israeli-Palestinian issue over the last 12 months since Libya joined the Council and the United States has tried to keep the topic off the agenda whenever possible.

The decision Saturday came after Israeli tanks and infantry rolled into Gaza in a ground offensive in a widening war against Hamas.

Ban has urged key world leaders to intensify efforts to achieve an immediate Israeli-Hamas cease-fire that includes international monitors to enforce a truce and, possibly, to protect Palestinian civilians.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and several Arab foreign ministers were flying to New York over the weekend to urge the Security Council to adopt an Arab draft resolution that would condemn Israel and demand a halt to its bombing campaign in Gaza.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni telephoned the UN secretary-general to update him on the goals of the ground operation. Livni stressed that Israel would not permit a drastic worsening of the humanitarian situation. The foreign minister said she plans to meet on Sunday with the heads of various UN humanitarian organizations in order to ensure that their requests are met.

"As the world makes it more clear that it understands that Israel is acting out of self-defense, the more Hamas understands that the situation in the region has really changed," Livni told the UN chief.

In a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Ban conveyed his "extreme concern and disappointment," the statement said.

Ban "is convinced and alarmed that this escalation will inevitably increase the already heavy suffering of the affected civilian populations," the statement said. He asked that Israel ensure civilian safety and allow humanitarian assistance to reach those in need, according to the statement.

The secretary-general urged regional and international partners to "exert all possible influence to bring about an immediate end to the bloodshed and suffering."

U.S. President George W. Bush was briefed on Saturday about the situation in the Gaza Strip where Israel sent in tanks and infantry against Hamas fighters, a White House spokesman said.

"President Bush was briefed this afternoon on the current situation in Gaza and the actions of the IDF," said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

"U.S. officials have been in regular contact with the Israelis as well as officials from countries in the region and Europe."

The U.S. State Department said on Saturday it was working toward a cease-fire for Gaza and said it had told Israel's government that military action must be "mindful of the potential consequences to civilians."

The department also said Washington is "deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation" in Gaza, but said in a statement that Hamas holds the people of Gaza hostage.

"It is obvious that that cease-fire should take place as soon as possible, but we need a cease-fire that is durable, sustainable, and not time limited," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in the statement.

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