UN Security Council meeting called on Israels barbaric act
World
UN Security Council meeting called on Israels barbaric act
An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council is to be called on Monday following Israeli action against a Gaza-bound aid boat. The United States has reacted to the Israeli raid, saying it deeply regrets the attack which killed 19 people. Israel insists that the activists had attacked first and their troops reacted in self-defence. The United States deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained and is currently working to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy, a White House statement said. US President Barack Obama was due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday for talks in Washington. Netanyahu was in Canada on Monday, but according to officials cut his visit short following the attack. It is thought Netanyahu is to cancel the US leg of his tour as well, according to reports. The UN Security Council was set to meet at 17:00 GMT on Monday to hold an emergency session on the deadly raid. EU calls seeks inquiry into Israeli military actionThe European Union called for an inquiry into deaths aboard Gaza aid ships seized by Israel's navy on Monday and urged Israel to allow the free flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. High Representative Catherine Ashton expresses her deep regret at the news of loss of life and violence and extends her sympathies to families of the dead and wounded, said a spokesperson for Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief. On behalf of the European Union she demands a full inquiry about the circumstances in which this happened ... She calls for an immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of the crossing for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza. World shocked by Israeli attack on Gaza aid ship World leaders were in shock on Monday after an Israeli attack on a flotilla of aid ships bound for Gaza. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was shocked, the European Union demanded a full inquiry, the head of the Arab League called the raid a crime, while France said nothing can justify such violence. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Israel to conduct a full investigation into the incident. I am shocked by reports of killings and injuries on boats carrying supplies for Gaza, he said. I condemn this violence. The UNs rights chief Navi Pillay also said she was shocked after Israeli commandos stormed the Gaza-bound aid ship. We are in contact with Israeli authorities to express our deep concern and to seek a full explanation, said a joint statement from Robert Serry, the UN Middle East envoy, and Filippo Grandi, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. In Europe there was a chorus of condemnation. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he was deeply shocked by the attack, adding that nothing can justify such action. Spain, which holds the current European Union presidency, called the Israeli ambassador to Madrid to explain what they called an unacceptable operation. The 22-country Arab League also criticised Israel. Its chief Amr Moussa called the action a crime against a humanitarian mission, and urged everyone to condemn it. He said a meeting tomorrow would decide a collective position. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said the Israeli raid was a crime against humanity. This crime illustrates to the world Israels savagery and the way they deal with unarmed civilians, Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah told. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Mondays attack was an insult to human dignity. It is clearly evident that the Palestinian issue is not an Arab or Islamic one, but a world issue. Today, the reason for creating and imposing of the Zionist regime has become evident to all, the hardliner told. Arabs in Israel announced a one-day strike in protest against the attack. The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee said a strike would take place on Tuesday.
