Palestine rejects Israeli apology on Gaza deaths

United Nations, Nov 10: A Palestinian official today accused Israel of ''state terrorism'' in an attack in Gaza that killed 18 civilians and said Israeli apologies for such incidents were insincere and no longer acceptable.

''This is terrorism, this is state terrorism,'' Palestinian UN Observer Riyad Mansour told an emergency Security Council meeting. ''These are war crimes for which the perpetrators must be held accountable under international law.'' But an Israeli diplomat insisted yesterday's deadly shelling in Beit Hanoun had been accidental. Israel was ''deeply saddened'' by it and doing its utmost to avoid a repetition, Israeli envoy Daniel Carmon said.

''Although the Palestinian civilians killed in this incident may have been killed by Israeli fire, they are in fact the victims of Hamas terrorism,'' Carmon said, referring to the militant movement heading the elected Palestinian government.

''If Palestinian terror did not continue to assault Israelis, if Qassam rockets stopped sailing out of Gaza into Israel, the incident in Beit Hanoun would never have happened,'' he said.

The council met at the request of the 22-member Arab League, the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference and the 116-nation Non-Aligned Movement after what Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert referred to as ''a technical failure'' but which Palestinian leaders have called a massacre.

The 18 dead, including seven children and four women, were buried at a mass funeral in Gaza today. Some lawmakers from the governing Hamas movement in Gaza have threatened to resume suicide attacks against Israel.

'DEATH, MOURNING AND GRIEF'

Since the end of June, more than 450 Palestinians had been killed in the Gaza strip, ''making death, mourning and grief a near-daily ritual for the people of Gaza,'' Mansour said. While Israel apologized after each such incident, it was ''with a forked tongue'' even as military attacks continued.

A draft Security Council resolution put forward by Arab states would call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and a UN observer force to enforce the cease-fire, as was done in southern Lebanon after the 34-day war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah that ended in August.

But the United States, Israel's closest ally and one of five permanent council members with veto power, typically opposes council intervention in W Asia conflict as ineffective in ending the Arab-Israeli cycle of violence.

''Despite all of the emotion in the air, we must have an honest and even-handed discussion of recent events in Gaza,'' US Ambassador John Bolton said.

He urged Israel to quickly look into the artillery attack and take steps to avoid a repetition while stressing the responsibility of the Hamas government, which refuses to recognize Israel and reject violence, ''to prevent terror and take the necessary steps to stop attacks from within Gaza.'' ''Progress requires a commitment to peace from both sides of the conflict,'' Bolton said.

Angela Kane, the UN assistant secretary-general for political affairs, also pressed Israel to do more to avoid civilian casualties and the Palestinians to try harder to prevent rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza.

While a government of national unity was the best way to work toward Palestinian law and order, the Israeli attack had led to a suspension of talks on a new government, she said.

''We hope that both Palestinians and Israelis will pause and reflect on the fact that the conflict between them will not be resolved by force and that ways must be found to bring about negotiations,'' she said.

REUTERS

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