US resists UN action on Hebron mission: diplomats

The UN Security Council on Wednesday discussed Israel's decision to end an international observer force in the West Bank city of Hebron but faced resistance from the United States to any response, diplomats said.

Kuwait and Indonesia requested the closed-door meeting to raise concerns after Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu announced last week that he would not renew the mandate of the 64-member team.

The Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) was established in the city following a massacre of Palestinians in 1994, but Netanyahu accused the force of bias.

Council president Anatolio Ndong Mba, the UN ambassador for Equatorial Guinea, told reporters after the meeting that the countries "exchanged different views" about Israel's decision.

"There was almost unanimity in the concern for the situation," said Mba, who was asked by the council to meet the Israeli and Palestinian ambassadors to discuss the situation.

Kuwait and Indonesia, two non-permanent council members, proposed a draft statement expressing regret about Israel's "unilateral decision" and calling for "calm and restraint" in Hebron, according to the text seen by AFP. 

The proposed statement stressed "the importance of the mandate of the TIPH and its efforts to foster calm in a highly sensitive area and fragile situation on the ground, which risks further deteriorating, as reflected in the escalating cycle of violence."

The text warned Israel that it has an obligation under international law "to protect the Palestinian civilian population in Hebron" as well as the rest of the occupied territories. 

Diplomats said they expected the United States, which has repeatedly defended Israel's policies at the United Nations, to block the proposed response. Council statements require unanimous approval.

The US mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment.

Kuwait's Ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi said the council would discuss a proposed visit to the Israeli occupied territories for a close-up look at the situation on the ground.

The Norway-led Hebron mission is comprised of unarmed observers tasked with promoting a sense of security for Palestinians in Hebron, the largest city in the West Bank.

Hebron is holy to both Muslims and Jews and has been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

At least 600 Jewish settlers live under heavy military guard in the city, which is home to around 200,000 Palestinians.

Israeli settlements are seen as illegal under international law and a major obstacle to peace, as they are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.

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