By KUNA
United Nations : The Security Council members, except for the US, agreed on Wednesday on a draft text that would express “deep concern” about the steep deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip due to the closure of all of the border crossings and the recent Israeli decision to reduce fuel supplies, cut off electrical power and prevent the delivery of food and medical supplies to the Palestinian population there.
In an attempt to win the support of the council’s European members and the US, the Palestinian and Arab delegations agreed to add a paragraph to the draft text expressing “deep concern about the recent violence” that affects Gaza and the communities in Southern Israel.
The council would call on all parties to immediately cease all acts of violence, including the “firing of rockets into Israeli territory” and “all activities which are contrary to international law and endanger civilians,” in an indirect reference to Israeli military incursions.
This paragraph now appears at the bottom of the text after it originally appeared as its first paragraph.
US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters on Tuesday that the text’s original version was “unacceptable” because it did not mention the rocket attacks. It is not clear whether the US will now object to the fact that the paragraph they insisted on is placed last in the draft text. A US diplomat said the US delegation is still awaiting instructions.
The council would also call upon Israel to abide by its obligations under international law, including humanitarian and human rights law towards the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
It would call on Israel in this context to ensure unhindered access for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people to alleviate the situation, and to open the border crossing to facilitate the passage of imports and exports and access of humanitarian workers to the Gaza Strip.
It would further call on the international community to continue to provide emergency and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip to meet their dire humanitarian needs.
Approving a Palestinian suggestion, the council would also welcome the Palestinian Authority’s proposal to assume responsibility for the Palestinian side of the Gaza Strip border crossing points.
The council members are meeting behind closed to discuss the latest version of the draft text.