Our Correspondent United Nations
The UN Security Council on Saturday called for “full adherence to the ceasefire”agreement reached between Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in its first statement since violence erupted on May 10.
Security Council members also stressed “the immediate need for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly in Gaza.”
The statement received backing from the US delegation, which had blocked earlier drafts, only after the removal of a paragraph condemning the violence, a sensitive issue since it raised the question of blame.
An earlier draft said that “Security Council members condemned all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, as well as acts of provocation, incitement and destruction.”
That draft also “expressed concern about the tensions and violence in east Jerusalem, especially in and around the holy sites, and urged for the respect of the historic status quo at the holy sites.”
The US delegation, always one of Israel’s strongest supporters in the UN, had also rejected a French draft demanding an immediate end to hostilities and calling for the unimpeded distribution of humanitarian aid throughout Gaza.
The final statement, proposed by China, Norway and Tunisia, simply noted that the Council members “mourned the loss of civilian lives resulting from the violence.”
It supported a call from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the international community to work with the UN to develop a “robust package of support for a swift, sustainable reconstruction and recovery.”
The Council reiterated the importance of achieving a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where Israel and the Palestinians live side by side in peace with secure borders.
The statement also recognised “the important role Egypt (and) other regional countries” played in it, as well as the so-called Middle East Quartet, comprising the US, Russia, the European Union and the UN.
Meanwhile, the Israel-Hamas ceasefire held into a third day on Sunday as Israeli police admitted Jewish visitors to a contested Jerusalem holy site where earlier confrontations with Palestinian protesters helped to ignite the cross-border Gaza fighting.
Police reported no unusual incidents at the al-Aqsa mosque compound as Israeli social media accounts showed a few dozen Jews in religious garb strolling around the site under guard.
A police spokesman described it as a regular scheduled visit after a break that began on May 3 for the holy month of Ramazan.—AFP/Reuters
