UN Security Council fails again to condemn the Israeli Siege imposed on Gaza

Saturday January 26, 2008 13:07 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

The United Nations Security Council failed again on Friday to issue a statement calling for the end of the Israeli imposed siege on the Gaza Strip and the halt of home-made- Qassam shells firing on Israeli towns by the Palestinian resistance.

UN Security Council - file 2007

On Wednesday The statement was called for by the Arab states that have representatives in the UN, the statement demanded that Israel immediately halts its siege and attacks on Gaza. Israel and the US objected to the statement, saying it was not fair.

In the past three days of talks at the UN Security Council, the United States of America has foiled the releasing of the statement that criticizes Israel for imposing a tight siege on the Gaza Strip, and the cut of fuel supplies which is pushing the entire costal region toward a humanitarian crisis. The US Ambassador to the United Nations, Zalman Zad, described the statement as unfair and said that it undermines the effect of the home-made shells that Palestinian fighters fire at Israel, a stand that is identical to the Israeli one regarding the statement.

Two weeks ago the Israeli government decided to keep pressure on the Gaza Strip by further attacking Palestinian resistance groups. On Friday Israel declared all Gaza's crossings completely closed, with a total ban of fuel and supplies to the coastal region. By Sunday Gaza had no electricity as the Solo Gaza power plant depends on Israeli Fuel. After a widespread international outcry following Israel cutting off of all fuel into Gaza, that left Gaza without electricity, the Israeli authorities agreed to allow fuel and medicine into the Palestinian coastal region on Tuesday for one day only.

Jad-Allah Al Talhi, the Libyan representative at the UN and the president of the UN Security Council for this month, stated that the 14 stats that are members of the UN Security Council still debating the statement.

The American UN mission demanded on Friday to amend the statement to include the call for the release of Gil'ad Shalit, the Israeli soldier that was captured by the Palestinian resistance two years ago in Gaza in addition to a condemnation of the Palestinian shells attacks on Israeli civilians.

In the past two week the Palestinian home made shells fired from Gaza into nearby Israeli towns had lightly injured three Israelis, meanwhile Israeli army attacks on the Palestinian coastal region had left 60 Palestinian killed. A total of 83 Palestinian patients, including 16 children, died due to the ongoing Israeli siege and blockade over the coastal region in the past few weeks.

The Arab states at the UN refused the American demand and said that the statement should focuses on the Israeli collective punishment polices towards the 1.5 million Palestinians living in Gaza.

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