UN Security Council Opens Emergency Meet On Gaza

The UN Security Council on Tuesday kicked off an emergency session on the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip as Israel eased its crippling blockade of the territory imposed in response to militant rocket fire.

The meeting, which kicked off 45 minutes behind schedule at 10:45 am (1545 GMT), had been requested by Arab and Islamic states amid a growing international outcry at what the European Union termed the "collective punishment" of Gaza's 1.5 million residents.

The 15 ambassadors were negotiating on a draft statement submitted by Libya, the council chair this month, that would call on Israel to end its lockdown of Gaza and ensure "unhindered access for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people", according to a copy of the text obtained by AFP.

The statement would also urge Israel "to abide by its obligation under international law, including humanitarian and human rights law, and immediately to cease all its illegal measures and practices against the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip."

But Western diplomats said they would push for inclusion of language that would also call for an end to rocket firing into Israel by Gaza-based militants.

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