UN to meet on 'protection of Palestinian civilians'

Security Council sets informal briefing called by Egypt, Senegal, Venezuela and Malaysia for May 6

UNITED NATIONS — The UN Security Council will hold an informal meeting on May 6 on the protection of Palestinian civilians, an issue the Palestinians have pressed for decades and say is more needed now than ever.

Palestinian Authority Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said four council members — Egypt, Senegal, Venezuela and Malaysia — are organizing the meeting which will hear briefings from a legal scholar, an Amnesty International representative and others.

Last October, the UN sent the council a study on precedents in addressing the protection of civilians in conflicts around the world.

Mansour told reporters Wednesday that the meeting is a first step toward action that the Security Council must take.

“Our desire is to find any form of protection to protect our people from the brutality of this occupation,” he said.

Ambassador Danny Danon speaking at the UN Security Council on October 22, 2015. (Screen capture: UNTV)

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon responded to the announcement of the council meeting saying: “The Palestinians are continuing to lie to the world and turn to the international community with ridiculous claims instead of focusing their efforts on fighting terror and incitement.”

Twenty-nine Israelis and four foreign nationals have been killed in a wave of Palestinian terrorism and violence since October. Over 170 Palestinians have also been killed, some two-thirds of them while attacking Israelis, and the rest during clashes with troops, according to the Israeli army.

Danon and Mansour last week turned a UN Security Council debate into a shouting match, as they exchanged cries of “Shame on you!” over the ongoing violence.

Danon broke away from an address to the council and demanded that the Palestinian representative condemn acts of terrorism.

“Shame on you for glorifying terrorism!” Danon said.

“Shame on you for killing Palestinian children!” Mansour shot back.

On Wednesday at a New York press conference, Mansour said Israel, like the Nazis, labels its opponents as terrorists. Danon said the ‘despicable’ comparison warranted condemnation from the international community.

AFP contributed to this report.