Palestinian and Egyptian UN ambassadors said on Monday that they asked the UN Security Council to bring Israel into compliance with the world call to put an immediate end to the violence and military actions in Gaza.
The ambassadors spoke to reporters after their meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who voiced his repeated calls for an immediate end to the "unacceptable" acts of violence in Gaza, which has left at least 345 people dead and hundreds of others wounded.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian permanent observer to the United Nations, told reporters that Israel must be made to comply with the unanimous call of the 15-member council for an immediate end to the violence and bloodshed in Gaza.
Mansour made his appearance before reporters together with Egyptian UN Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz after their meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who voiced his repeated appeals for an early end to the on-going acts of violence in Gaza.
"It's the responsibility of the council to act in a practical way to bring the Israeli compliance" with the unanimous council call for a cease-fire, Mansour said.
Mansour said that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the president of the Security Council, Croatia's UN Ambassador Neven Jurica whose country holds the rotating council presidency for December, both pledged to him that they will work hard to address the latest situation in Gaza and the humanitarian needs of the people there.
"What we want is to bring Israel into compliance with the wish of the Security Council," he said, adding that it has been more than 48 hours since the council made the appeal, but Israel did not comply with it.
At least 345 people have been killed since Israel launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip on Saturday to retaliate for increased rocket and mortar fire from Gaza on southern Israel, reports said.
Mansour warned here on Sunday that if Israel did not comply with the council's cease-fire call, Arab nations and their supporters "will come back before the council in order to bring Israel into compliance."
The Security Council on Saturday held an emergency meeting on the latest situation in Gaza and later unanimously called for an immediate stop to all acts of violence in Gaza and southern Israel.
Earlier, Ban, in a statement issued on Monday, said, "Both Israel and Hamas must halt their acts of violence and take all necessary measures to avoid civilian casualties. A cease-fire must be declared immediately."
"I am deeply alarmed by the current escalation of violence in and around Gaza," Ban said. "This is unacceptable."
(Xinhua News Agency December 30, 2008)
