Security Council Deplores Slayings of 6 Palestinians
The U.N. Security Council early today deplored the killings of at least six Palestinian civilians and the wounding of more than 125 over the weekend by Israeli security forces during clashes in the occupied Gaza Strip.
Israel immediately repudiated the council statement as biased and said it ignored the violence and provocation by Palestinians. The U.N. action, however, carries less weight than three recent U.N. resolutions against Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
The council statement, read aloud by the council president and endorsed by all 15 members, including the United States, calls upon Israel, “the occupying power,” to comply fully with the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. That international law provides for protection of civilians in occupied lands.
The statement refers to “all the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including Jerusalem.”
The U.N. statement is the weakest expression of the council’s will and is not legally binding, like a resolution. It requires only a consensus, not a vote.
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