May 19, 2004
U.N. Demands Israel End Home Demolitions
Associated Press

With the United States abstaining, the U.N. Security Council Wednesday demanded that Israel halt the demolition of Palestinian homes and condemned the killing of Palestinian civilians near a Gaza refugee camp.

By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS - With the United States abstaining, the U.N. Security Council Wednesday demanded that Israel halt the demolition of Palestinian homes and condemned the killing of Palestinian civilians near a Gaza refugee camp.

The decision by the United States, Israel's closest ally, to allow the adoption of a critical resolution reflected the Bush administration's displeasure at Israel's foray into Gaza.

The final vote was 14-0 with one abstention.

U.S. deputy ambassador James Cunningham immediately urged Israel to exercise restraint, saying its Gaza incursion in search of gunmen and weapons-smuggling tunnels have not helped "peace and security."

The last time the United States abstained in a Security Council vote against Israeli actions was Sept. 24, 2002, when a resolution calling on Israel to withdraw its forces from Palestinian cities passed 14-0. The United States refrained from vetoing the resolution after language demanding that the Palestinians bring terrorists to justice was inserted.

Arab nations called for Security Council action following Israel's incursion into Gaza which, according to U.N. agencies, left 2,197 people homeless in the first 15 days of May.

The latest tragedy came Wednesday as Israel's military fired tank shells into a large crowd of Palestinian protesters, killing at least 10 people, most of them children and teenagers near the Rafah refugee camp.

The Arab world and European leaders condemned the strike, while President Bush (news - web sites) withheld immediate judgment. Israel expressed regret, saying the casualties were a result of warning shots to hold back the crowd.

The council revised the resolution to condemn "the killing of Palestinian civilians that took place in the Rafah area."

The resolution expresses grave concern at "the recent demolition of homes committed by Israel, the occupying power, in the Rafah refugee camp." It "calls on Israel to respect its obligations under international humanitarian law and insists, in particular, on its obligation not to undertake demolition of homes contrary to that law."

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