UN Security Council fails to agree on statement to lift the Israeli siege on Gaza Strip because of the US shielding of Israeli aggression

UN Security Council fails to agree on statement on Gaza

Date: 26 / 01 / 2008 Time: 13:11

Bethlehem – Ma'an –

The UN Security Council failed to reach agreement on Friday on a statement calling for the lifting of the siege on the Gaza Strip and stopping the Palestinian homemade projectiles being launched towards Israeli cities.

A statement calling for talks had been in the council all week, but was finally blocked by Libya, which currently chairs the Security Council. The Libyan representative Jadallah Al-Talhi said that he has to submit the final version of the statement to Tripoli. He explained that there had been problems with the final version.

He told Agence France Press that he hopes to get directives from Tripoli by Monday and then he will announce the next UN Security Council's meeting to ratify a decision.

The US demanded several major amendments to the statement after it was proposed by Libya. The US administration, which is the strongest ally of Israel, has always stated that the siege on the Gaza Strip comes within the framework of self-defence against the continuous launching of Palestinian homemade projectiles at Israeli towns from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip (while in fact, these rockets, which did not kill or injure any Israelis, are in retaliation for continuous Israeli daily killings of Palestinians).

The amended version of the UN Security Council's statement reads "condemnation of the daily Palestinian missile attacks on Israeli civilians, especially after the Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005." The statement describes these attacks as terrorism and calls for their immediate halt (But the US never describes the Israeli killing of Palestinian civilians as state terrorism).

Included among the US demanded amendments is the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and the condemnation of terror (But the US never condemned the Israeli state terrorism, which targets and kills Palestinian civilians on daily basis).

Meanwhile, Arab countries said these amendments were unacceptable affirming that the UN Security Council should take a position against Israel's policy of "collective punishment" on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

British MP: Bush supports Israeli murder of Palestinians

[ 26/01/2008 - 10:27 AM ]

DOHA, (PIC)--

Former British secretary MP Clare Short has described American president George Bush as a "war criminal" who should stand trial before an international court.

The MP told Qatari Daily 'Al-Arab' that Bush was responsible for what is happening in Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Iraq.

She noted that as soon as Bush ended his visit to the Palestinian lands the IOF troops started their land, sea and air shelling of the Gaza Strip inflicting tens of casualties in lines of the Palestinians.

She predicted that Israel would continue in its escalation against the Palestinian people in the Strip and in the West Bank.

The MP criticized the American administration for remaining tightlipped in face of Israel's "mass punishment" against the Palestinians especially the closure of all crossings surrounding the Strip and cutting power and fuel supplies.

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