Bush: Israelis must respect innocent life

The UN Security Council passed a resolution yesterday condemning Israel's killing of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, with the US abstaining instead of vetoing the measure.

The Palestinians hailed the vote by the council, where the US has frequently blocked resolutions critical of Israel, but the Israeli ambassador quickly said the measure would not halt the crackdown in the Gaza Strip.

The 14-0 vote came hours after at least 10 Palestinians, most of them children, were killed when Israeli forces opened fire on a demonstration in the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza.


In a further rebuke to Israel, US President George W. Bush sounded a note of impatience with the US’s close ally.

“It is essential that people respect innocent life in order for us to achieve peace. We’ll get clarification from the (Israeli) Government,” Mr Bush said