United Nations Security Council chamber at UN world headquarters in New York City, NY

By Gary Raynaldo   DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED  NATIONS  –  NEW  YORK  –  The UN Security Council is set to debate the Israeli-Palestine issue Sunday as the death toll rose to 119 in Palestine, eight in Israel amid the blooding conflict.  The Security Council is expected to hold an open videoconference (VTC) debate to discuss the recent escalation of violence in Israel, Gaza and East Jerusalem. China, Norway and Tunisia called for the meeting.  The US attempted to block the meeting that was initially set for Friday May 14, and instead proposed having it next Tuesday. A compromise was reportedly reached for the  Sunday meet. This will be the third time in six days that the Security Council has met to discuss this issue. Council members received a briefing in closed VTC consultations from the Special Coordinator of the Secretary-General for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland on 10 May and 12 May.  Sunday’s meeting will be the first of these meetings to be held publicly.  Secretary-General António Guterres is expected to deliver opening remarks, and Wennesland will brief. Representatives of Israel and the Observer State of Palestine will participate. Council members and other parties whose interests are affected will also speak during the VTC session.  Other member states will have the opportunity to submit written statements that will be compiled in a UN document. Violence is ongoing in the region, after rising tensions in late April in East Jerusalem led to violent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in different parts of the city. On 7 May, skirmishes erupted between Israeli police and Palestinians at the Al Aqsa Mosque in the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif site, lasting for several days. 

The United States, isolated among the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council in closed-door discussions around issuing a statement calling for restraint on all sides, twice this week used its veto power to block agreement on the statement, diplomats from three Security Council members told POLITICO.