May 12. An eruption of violence in Israel and the Gaza Strip is headed for “full scale war,” a top UN envoy warned, even as Washington reportedly resists efforts to issue a similar call for deescalation in the UN Security Council.
“Stop the fire immediately. We’re escalating towards a full scale war,” Tor Wennesland, a Norwegian diplomat and the UN’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said on Tuesday, amid a sharp spike in deadly fighting between Tel Aviv and Palestinian militants based in Gaza.While diplomatic sources told AFP that the UN Security Council is set to meet on Wednesday to discuss the conflict, they said the US, a close ally to Israel, has dragged its feet on issuing a clear statement condemning the violence and urging for calm. The 15-member body met on Monday, but Washington reportedly declined to adopt a draft statement proposed by Norway “at this point.”
The draft, seen by AFP, not only voiced “grave concern regarding escalating tensions and violence,” but also called on Tel Aviv to “cease settlement activities, demolitions and evictions” in all the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem.
Asked about the US position on the statement during a Tuesday press briefing, State Department spokesman Ned Price refused to answer directly.
“We want to see to it that steps, whether they emanate from the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority or the UN Security Council, serve, not to escalate or provoke, but to de-escalate,” he said.
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