The United States vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning Israel for its incursion into the Gaza Strip, calling the resolution "lopsided and unbalanced" because it failed to mention Palestinian rocket attacks against Israeli civilians that triggered the action. The resolution, which was co-sponsored by Pakistan and Algeria, obtained 11 votes in favor Tuesday. Britain, Germany and Romania abstained, citing concern that the text did not fault Palestinian attacks. But the U.S. veto, the seventh cast by the Bush administration on a resolution that condemned Israeli actions, blocked its adoption.
| Once again we had to be the stand-up guys. |
John C. Danforth, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the resolution would undermine efforts to restore peace in the Middle East. "The resolution today encourages the terrorists; it will not do anything to prevent a predictable response," he said. The Palestinian representative, Nasser Kidwa, said after the vote that "this is another sad day for the Security Council" for not calling for "cessation of the bloodshed of the Palestinian people in northern Gaza." He said he is considering calling for an emergency session of the U.N. General Assembly to press for Israel's condemnation. The failed resolution condemned Israel's "military incursion" into northern Gaza, citing "extensive human casualties and destruction." It also demanded "the immediate cessation of all military operations in the area of northern Gaza and the withdrawal of the Israeli occupying forces from that area."
| Strange, not a word about the two Israeli toddlers killed by the Paleo rocket. |
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