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You just don' have a leg to stand on, do you?
'Profoundly regretful' Israel faces rage in UN over air raid
26/July/2002
Agencies in Jerusalem and New York
Israel yesterday made moves to appease angry Palestinians after facing fierce criticism in the United Nations Security Council over Tuesday's deadly air strike.
Nation after nation said during a late- night debate that the attack - which killed 15 people including nine children - was unacceptable and unwarranted. But US officials said Washington, Israel's closest ally, would oppose the draft if it was put to a vote. Western diplomats said revisions of the document might yet result in adoption before the end of the week.
US Ambassador John Negroponte said past council resolutions formed a "more than adequate basis to guide efforts to achieve a negotiated solution" and the world should focus on "constructive diplomatic efforts".
Israel's deputy ambassador, Aaron Jacob, expressed regret at the deaths but said the action was precipitated by the failure of the Palestinian Authority to stop "one of the most prolific and brutal terrorists", Salah Shehada, the target of the attack.
"Had we known the result beforehand, we would never have carried out the operation. Our regret is sincere and profound," he said.
In a gesture that appeared designed to ease the criticism, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said Israel would release HK$43 million (HK$334 million) of frozen Palestinian Authority tax revenues and take other steps to ease the hardships of 700,000 Palestinians living under Israeli curfew in the West Bank.
"We are making every effort to ease the escalation [since the Gaza strike]," Mr Peres told Army Radio. "I know that this is a serious escalation and I am really afraid that innocent people on both sides will pay a high price."
Hamas has vowed to kill hundreds of Israelis to avenge the attack by an F-16 warplane that fired a one-tonne guided bomb at the house of the commander of the Islamic group's military wing.
In new violence yesterday, Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli motorist near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, the army said.
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