The United States yesterday vehemently rejected a Qatari
initiative to establish an international committee to "investigate the massacre that took place in Beit Hanun."

The Americans also oppose the deployment of UN observers to supervise the cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians.

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Both ideas are included in a draft resolution the Gulf nation circulated among members of the UN Security Council yesterday. Several security council ambassadors called the draft resolution "unilateral" and "extreme".

Sources at UN headquarters projected yesterday that if Qatar did not accept suggested amendments to the proposal, the United States would almost certainly veto it.

The reservations were attributed to the fact that the current draft does not mention Qassam fire on Israel and completely ignores the fate of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit. One European delegate claimed
behind the scenes yesterday that the draft would have to also include the three conditions the Quartet had set for recognition of the Hamas government.

However, in an open Security Council session, the representatives of 30 nations appeared united in condemnation of the Israeli military operation in Beit Hanun that killed 19 Palestinian civilians. The Palestinian observer during the session rejected Israel's apology for the artillery attack. "Every time Israel does something like this, it apologizes," Riyad Mansour. "That
apology would not be acceptable in court either."
"Although the Palestinian civilians killed in this incident may have been killed by Israeli fire, they are in fact the victims of Hamas terrorism, Israel's deputy UN representative, Daniel Carmon, said in a speech. "Since
Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, 1,000 Qassam rockets have been fired at Israeli cities."

In a strongly anti-Israel briefing, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Angela Kane said, "Men, women and children, who posed no threat, were killed as they slept in their home. While this incident is unusual in scale, however, it is not the first time an Israeli military operation in the occupied Palestinian territory has resulted in a high number of civilian casualties."

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said his country had noted the Israeli apology and that Israel was investigating the incident.

Along with Israeli diplomats, Karnit Goldwasser, wife of abducted IDF reservist Ehud Goldwasser, also attended the session. A British representative addressed Goldwasser in her speech saying, "Rest assured that we are doing
everything possible to bring about the release of the abducted soldiers."

After the session, the fifteen representatives of the permanent Security Council members held an unofficial consultation behind closed doors to try to reach an agreed upon draft of a resolution. A vote is expected early next week.