UNITED NATIONS, Oct 4 (AFP) - The UN Security Council on Monday discussed the Middle East after Algeria submitted a draft resolution calling on Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but the United States quickly criticized the measure.
The draft, presented by Arab nations and up for a vote Tuesday, was introduced amid a massive Israeli incursion in the Gaza Strip that was launched six days ago to establish a buffer zone that would prevent militants from firing rockets at Israel.
Since the start of the campaign, 77 Palestinians have been killed.
The proposed resolution "demands the immediate cessation of all military operations in the area of Northern Gaza and the withdrawal of the Israeli occupying forces from that area."
US ambassador John Danforth dismissed the text as "one more step on the road to nowhere."
"The Security Council and the General Assembly, instead of saying 'stop' to both sides, act as the cheerleaders of the Palestinians," Danforth said.
Dutch ambassador Dirk van den Berg, who spoke for the European Union, said Israel's response to Palestinian attacks was "disproportionate."
"Though Israel has the right to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks, the exercise of this right should take place within the boundaries of international law," he said.
Algerian ambassador Abdallah Baali denounced "the disgraceful methods used by Israel today against defenseless civilian populations."
The council must "demand that Israel put an end immediately to the operations it is carrying out in Gaza," Baali said.
The Algerian text calls on Israel and the Palestinian Authority "to immediately implement their obligations under the roadmap" for peace backed by the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia.
The text also "calls on Israel, the occupying power, to ensure the unfettered access and safety of United Nations personnel ... and calls for the respect of the inviolability of the facilities of the United Nations agencies in the field, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East."
The agency came under fire from Israel, which claimed that it allowed an ambulance to be abused by Palestinian militants to carry weapons.
The head of the agency, Peter Hansen, called the Israeli charges "malicious propaganda" that endangered the lives of UN staff and demanded a retraction and an apology.
Israel's UN ambassador Dan Gillerman said he "made it very clear" to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Monday that there is "a very worrying pattern of UN involvement in terrorist activities."