A draft UN resolution prepared by Qatar last week called on Israel to end its military operations in Gaza and release the Hamas Authority officials it captured in Judea and Samaria.
The resolution was immediately rejected by the United States and France. By Friday, it had the support of only a few of the 15 members of the Council, according to an unnamed diplomat interviewed by the Associated Press.
Annan called for “an immediate halt to the disproportionate use of force by Israel, which has already killed and wounded many civilians, for the release of Israeli army corporal Gilad Shalit and for the cessation of rocket fire into Israel.” He appealed to both groups to “pull back from the brink for the sake of all civilians in the region.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul also called on Israel to pull out of Gaza, saying it was “horrifying to see so many Palestinians killed like this in front of the eyes of the international community.” He spoke to reporters on Saturday as he was leaving Ankara for a conference in Iran. “This situation is totally threatening the peace process and is destroying the will for co-existence,” he added.
Not every voice in the international community condemned Israel, however. Journalist Fuad al Hashen wrote in an op-ed piece published Saturday in the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Watan that Hamas bore full responsibility for the IDF’s military operations in Gaza.
Al Hashen wrote that Israel’s decision to attack was “natural” given that rocket attacks continued against Israel even after its voluntary pullout from Gaza last summer. He called on Hamas officials to focus on rebuilding Gaza and address the real issues for the Palestinian people – “then the ‘Summer Rain’ will stop falling,” referring to the name of the overall IDF incursion.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld meanwhile canceled what would have been his first visit to Israel in his current position. Rumsfeld was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz next week.
The resolution was immediately rejected by the United States and France. By Friday, it had the support of only a few of the 15 members of the Council, according to an unnamed diplomat interviewed by the Associated Press.
Annan called for “an immediate halt to the disproportionate use of force by Israel, which has already killed and wounded many civilians, for the release of Israeli army corporal Gilad Shalit and for the cessation of rocket fire into Israel.” He appealed to both groups to “pull back from the brink for the sake of all civilians in the region.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul also called on Israel to pull out of Gaza, saying it was “horrifying to see so many Palestinians killed like this in front of the eyes of the international community.” He spoke to reporters on Saturday as he was leaving Ankara for a conference in Iran. “This situation is totally threatening the peace process and is destroying the will for co-existence,” he added.
Not every voice in the international community condemned Israel, however. Journalist Fuad al Hashen wrote in an op-ed piece published Saturday in the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Watan that Hamas bore full responsibility for the IDF’s military operations in Gaza.
Al Hashen wrote that Israel’s decision to attack was “natural” given that rocket attacks continued against Israel even after its voluntary pullout from Gaza last summer. He called on Hamas officials to focus on rebuilding Gaza and address the real issues for the Palestinian people – “then the ‘Summer Rain’ will stop falling,” referring to the name of the overall IDF incursion.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld meanwhile canceled what would have been his first visit to Israel in his current position. Rumsfeld was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz next week.