Palestinian ambassador Nasser Al-Kidwa addressed the U.N. Security Council late Monday in response to an emergency meeting called by Algerian Ambassador Abdallah Baali. He also introduced a draft resolution on the increasing violence in the northern Gaza Strip. "Why did the Security Council fail to halt the colonization of the [Palestinian] territory?" asked Palestinian Ambassador Nasser Al-Kidwa in the emergency meeting. "The time has come for a serious position to be taken by the council to put an end to this constantly unfolding tragedy- [Israeli] withdrawal from the Northern Gaza Strip." Al-Kidwa added that over the past year he has sent 203 letters to the U.N. secretary-general, the General Assembly, and the Security Council to protest the ill-treatment of Palestinians by Israeli forces. The Palestinian ambassador called on the international community to help. "We call upon the international community to strictly adhere to the Palestinian position. … We call upon the Quartet to impose respect for the roadmap and to not depart from it," said Al-Kidwa. "Although there have been double standards, we have not lost hope," Al-Kidwa said. The Security Council will probably vote on the resolution Tuesday. Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman also addressed the council, stating that the path to peace and security lies in the end of terrorism and reform "in Ramallah and in Gaza, not New York."
