At U.N., Attacks On Israel Reign Despite Bombing

UNITED NATIONS - On the day a Palestinian Arab suicide bomber killed nine people in Tel Aviv, many speeches at the Security Council concentrated on perceived Israeli transgressions, denouncing what the Palestinian Arab observer at Turtle Bay, Riyad Mansour, called "aggression and escalation of military attacks by Israel, the occupying power."

Paying the obligatory condemnation of the terror attack claimed by Islamic Jihad yesterday, many of the speakers in yesterday's open meeting of the council nevertheless stuck to their original intent to mostly denounce what the Iranian ambassador, Javad Zarif, defined as "daily brutality by the Israeli regime."

After he finished denouncing Israel's actions against Palestinian Arabs, Iran's Mr. Zarif complained about Israeli threats against his country.

Two dozen speakers, mostly from Arab and Muslim countries but also from Cuba and Venezuela, lined up to denounce Israel. Speeches were also made by the 15 members of the council. The meeting was requested last week by the Arab representative on the council, Qatar, after America blocked a proposal to issue a statement denouncing Israeli actions in Gaza.

Mr. Mansour noted in his speech that the Palestinian Authority's leader, Mahmoud Abbas, had denounced yesterday's Tel Aviv bombing. Israeli ambassador Dan Gillerman, however, said that Mr. Mansour forgot one word in his speech.

"Let me spell it for you," Mr. Gillerman said, spelling the name of the party that currently controls the Palestinian Authority, Hamas. Quoting the organization's official spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, Mr. Gillerman said that rather than denouncing the bombing, Hamas said that Palestinian Arabs "have every right to use all means to defend themselves."

In consultations among council members, American ambassador John Bolton proposed a statement on the Tel Aviv bombing that would denounce the Islamic Jihad and call on Syria to close the organization's offices in Damascus. Russia opposed the line on Syria, but after dropping it, all members of the council agreed to the statement, except Qatar, which asked to wait until today before signing up.