Global Policy Forum

By Evelyn Leopold

Faced with calls for an armed force in Palestinian territories and a probe of the devastated Jenin refugee camp, the U.N. Security Council is grappling with an Arab-initiated resolution the United States has threatened to veto. Britain has offered some compromise proposals the 15-member council is set to consider on Friday but neither the United States nor Arab nations have approved them.

The Arab draft calls for a "third party" presence in Palestinian territory, demands an immediate Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian cities and an end to Israel's siege of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat headquarters in Ramallah and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

It also wants a U.N. investigation into alleged "massacres" and destruction of the Jenin refugee camp, the most violent of Israel's incursions in the West Bank over the past two weeks in search of "terrorist networks."

The British proposals would eliminate most of the demands except for a U.N. investigation of Jenin and calls for Israel to honour previous council resolutions. The Security Council approved three resolutions in March and early April demanding an immediate cease-fire and an Israeli troop withdrawal "without delay." It also called for a peace pact culminating in a Palestinian state.

The United States voted for all three after softening language that Arab nations had proposed. But this time U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said: "We think the council has done enough." Diplomats said he made the veto threat in private discussions but added the British proposals had been sent to Washington for scrutiny.

ANNAN CONTINUES PUSH FOR ARMED INTERVENTION

Despite known Israeli and U.S. positions, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed to the council on Thursday for authorisation of a "robust" international force in Palestinian territory to halt the violence that escalated two weeks ago when Israeli troops began raids. Some 120 Israelis have been killed by suicide bombers over the past month and hundreds of Palestinians have died in the Israeli West Bank offensive.

But Aaron Jacob, Israel's deputy U.N. ambassador, immediately said "no" and White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said "the president thinks the purpose of America's military is to fight and win wars." Fleischer and Negroponte said again that any intervention needed the consent of both parties. So far Israel has only agreed to U.S. civilians for the monitoring of a cease-fire.

Nevertheless, speakers from some 30 nations, mostly from developing countries, told the council to move immediately during a public meeting on Thursday that resumes on Friday. Elaborating on a concept he voiced in Geneva last week, Annan said an armed force would be in Israel's interest, and would put "an international spotlight on any extremist Palestinian groups that try to undermine a cease-fire by continuing to engage in terrorism."

The force would not be organised by the United Nations but by a "coalition of the willing." The council, Annan said, should authorise such an operation under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, which allows the use of force. But he said a multinational force could only succeed if it were part of a peace process leading to long-term security for Israel, a Palestinian state and the withdrawal of Israeli settlements from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

On the Jenin raids, Annan told reporters he would approve an investigation but his first priority was to help the living. He called on Israel to allow humanitarian workers full access to the devastated refugee camp, describing the destruction as "horrific."

U.N. officials visiting the camp found "people digging out corpses from the rubble with bare hands," Annan said. "Meanwhile no major emergency rescue operation has been allowed to begin. The destruction is massive and the impact on the civilian population is devastating," he said.

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