Palestinian diplomat: Israeli strikes 'extremely dangerous'

Nasser al-Kidwa: "We need to see a red light coming from Washington, not a yellow one or even a green one."

By Ronni Berke
CNN

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Israel's attacks on Palestinian targets in Gaza prove that it does not want a final settlement to the Middle East conflict, a Palestinian diplomat told CNN Monday.

"I think what the Israeli government is doing is extremely dangerous," said Nasser al-Kidwa, Palestinian observer to the United Nations. "They are practically ensuring that the effort of the Palestinian Authority is not going to succeed."

Israeli action was in response to Palestinian terror attacks over the weekend that left 25 Israelis dead. Three suicide bombers also died.

Al-Kidwa said Israel's action "proves again what we have always suspected -- that the Israeli government did not want any final settlement."

He said unless the U.S. government "sends a different kind of message, we might be heading into a much more dangerous situation. We need to see a red light coming from Washington, not a yellow one or even a green one. Unfortunately, Washington did not send the appropriate message we feel yesterday."

But in Israel, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon blamed Arafat for the recent violence.

"Israel does not open wars," Sharon said at a news conference. "We know who has brought it on us -- Arafat is responsible for everything that is happening here."

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Al-Kidwa spoke after the U.N. General Assembly adopted a series of resolutions by an overwhelming majority criticizing Israeli treatment of the Palestinians and its policies on Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

The resolutions were not related to the suicide bombings or to the retaliatory strikes by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank.

Similar votes are held each year by the General Assembly before it recesses for the holidays. The United States and Israel routinely oppose the measures, which are heavily supported by the non-aligned and Arab groups.

Of the six resolutions passed Monday, one calling for a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine prompted more abstentions than in previous years. It was adopted 131-6 with 20 abstentions.

The resolution upheld the rights of Palestinians and demanded Israel withdraw from territory occupied since 1967.

It also expressed "deep concern over the tragic events in Occupied East Jerusalem and the Occupied Palestinian Territory ... which have resulted in a high number of deaths and injuries, mostly among Palestinian civilians."

Several European delegations said they abstained because they felt the resolutions did not address the issue of civilian casualties on both sides -- especially in light of the weekend bombings.

During the debate, Israeli Ambassador Yehuda Lancry, called on the international community to "denounce Palestinian terroristic practices without ambiguity, without understatement, without lexical subtleties."

"It is only by restoring Palestinian terrorism to its true nature, revealing it and denouncing it for what it is, that we can really help the Palestinians to be fully converted to dialogue, coexistence and peace," Lancry said.

"The Palestinians frequently mention the excessive use of force by Israel and the extra-judicial killings. Perhaps, sir, Palestinians could explain to us one day in what way the Palestinians, in their suicide terrorist vocations, mowing down Israelis by the dozens, are not making excessive use of force."