The Palestinian representative at the United Nations on Wednesday demanded that the Security Council meet to consider sending a UN force to protect Palestinians from Israeli violence.
In a letter to council president Martin Andjaba of Namibia, Palestinian representative Nasser al-Kidwa requested that the meeting consider sending UN troops to protect Palestinian civilians caught up in nearly four weeks of Israeli-Palestinian clashes that have left some 140 people dead.
"It has become very clear that Israel, the occupying power, is persisting with its campaign of terror against the Palestinian people," al-Kidwa said in the letter, released here.
"We call upon the Security Council to urgently convene a meeting to consider the situation and to establish a United Nations protection force to be dispatched in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, with the aim of providing a much-needed protection for the Palestinian civilian population."
On Sunday, an emergency Arab summit in Cairo urged the United Nations to "guarantee the protection" of the Palestinian people against Israel.
Last week, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning Israel's excessive use of force against Palestinian civilians.
That vote followed a UN Security Council vote on October 7, also condemning excessive Israeli force. The United States abstained on both occasions.
UN diplomats said that Tunisia, a non-permanent member of the Security Council was to request a council meeting in the name of the Palestinians.
The United States said last week it was opposed to an earlier move by the Palestinians to push for a Security Council meeting and said it would apply its veto to block any decisions – UNITED NATIONS (AFP)
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