A draft resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip will be formally circulated to the Security Council, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said Tuesday. Mansour told reporters before the council's monthly meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that the resolution would be given to all 15 Security Council members later Tuesday. He said it was endorsed by the Palestinians' supporters last week. A draft dated July 18 and obtained by the Associated Press calls for "an immediate, durable, and fully respected cease-fire, including the withdrawal of Israeli occupying forces from the Gaza Strip." The draft also calls for "all necessary measures to ensure the protection of civilians, including the immediate cessation of military reprisals, collective punishment, and excessive use of force against the Palestinian civilian population."
