UNSC meets over Israeli raid
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Permanent Palestinian observer to the United Nations Riyad Mansour speaks at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York May 31, 2010. The UN Security Council on Monday afternoon met behind closed doors to discuss the deadly attack against a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza. The emergency meeting, which was called for by Arab states after Israel carried out the attack, was meant to work out a council's response. [Xinhua] |
The UN Security Council continued to meet behind closed doors on Tuesday to ponder over how to respond to the Israeli attacks on a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza, which left at least 10 killed.
The emergency meeting kicked off on Monday afternoon at the UN Headquarters in New York and continued into Tuesday. The 15-nation Security Council met behind closed doors to discuss the deadly raid at the request of Arab countries.
The meeting, which was called for by Lebanon, Turkey and Palestine after Israel carried out the attack, was meant to work out a council's response. Lebanon and Turkey are two non-permanent members of the Security Council.
Israeli navy backed with helicopters attacked early Monday morning the Gaza-bound aid flotilla in the Mediterranean international waters with live ammunition and gas bombs, causing over 10 activists on board killed and over 30 injured, according to local media.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday expressed his shock at the deadly military interception on boats loaded with relief supplies headed for Gaza, calling on Israel to fully explain its actions.
Also on Monday afternoon, John Holmes, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, condemned the attack and joined the secretary-general in calling for an early full probe into such an incident.
Holmes said in a statement issued on Monday afternoon that "As Emergency Relief Coordinator, I condemn this dreadful waste of life over a humanitarian issue."
"Whatever the truth about what happened, which the full investigation called for by the secretary-general should establish quickly, such an incident should never have happened or needed to happen," he said.
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Israeli Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Daniel Carmon speaks at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York May 31, 2010. The UN Security Council on Monday afternoon met behind closed doors to discuss the deadly attack against a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza. The emergency meeting, which was called for by Arab states after Israel carried out the attack, was meant to work out a council's response. [Xinhua] |
