UN move against Jewish settlements

It also asked Israel to accept the applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the protection of civilian persons in time of war.

The Assembly reiterated the demand that parties to the 1949 Geneva convention convene a conference on measures to be undertaken to enforce it in the Israeli occupied territories.

While India voted in favour of the resolution, Israel, the United States and Micronesia voted against it. Australia, Bulgaria, Marshall Islands, Romania andSwaziland abstained.

The resolution, recommendatory in nature and cannot be enforced, will have little effect on Israel and is expected to be ignored by it as it has done with several such resolutions.

Israel rejects application of the convention to territories it occupied in the 1967 mid-east war, for if it accepts the convention, it cannot build settlements on them. It also opposes convening of the conference.Diplomats said the new initiatives to break the year-long deadlock might be more effective than a similar Assembly resolution last year, which produced no effect.

Moreover, the debate does have the effect of drawing the attention of the world to the problems facing Palestinians and helps keep the issue on the international agenda, they said.

The Assembly also recommended that the Swiss government, which is the depository of the convention, undertake the necessary preparatory steps, including the convening of a meet of experts, to follow up the recommendations contained in theresolution.

Meanwhile, reports said as part of fresh attempts to bring the Middle-East peace process back on rails, Israeli and Palestinian authorities are likely to meet under a Swiss initiative. Details, including dates of the proposed meetings, are yet to be worked out.

American Secretary of State Madeleine Albright too might try to bring Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu together within next few days, they said.

These initiatives notwithstanding, Arab leaders launched severe attacks on Israel in the Assembly questioning its sincerity in carrying the peace process forward.

Israel resents Cook’s recipe

British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook sparked a diplomatic crisis with Israel and was nearly mobbed by Jewish radicals when he met Palestinians on Wednesday at a controversial new Jewish settlement in disputed East Jerusalem.

A furious Netanyahu cancelled a planned dinner with Cook and met himwithout the customary photo session or joint news conference.

Israel said Cook reneged on an agreement to go only with Israeli officials to the site of the planned 6,500-unit housing project for Jews on a hilltop in south-eastern Jerusalem known as Har Homa to Jews and Jebel Abu Ghneim to Arabs.

“By meeting with the Palestinians, Cook has violated all the prior agreements on the organisation of his visit,” said Eitan Ben-Tsur, Director General of the Foreign Ministry, on Israel radio.

Cook said he did not break promises made to Israel when he met with the Palestinian official at a settlement construction site in Jerusalem.

“We repeatedly bent over backwards to accommodate their concerns,” Cook told media persons on Tuesday after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Cook said he had agreed not to be briefed by Palestinian officials at the site but made no promise to shun Palestinians during his visit to Har Homa.