The United States, Britain France and other members walked out of a closed meeting of the UN Security Council last night after Libya compared the situation in Gaza to Nazi concentration camps in World War II.
The walkout was a rare protest by diplomats on the UN's most powerful body against one of their own members. Libya is the only Arab representative on the council.
Council members were meeting privately yesterday to discuss the possibility of issuing a press statement following a briefing on the situation in the Middle East.
Assistant Secretary General Angela Kane had reported on the escalation in violence and growing humanitarian plight in Gaza as well as rocket attacks against Israel.
According to several diplomats, Libya's deputy UN Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi ended a long speech about the plight of the Palestinians by comparing the situation in Gaza to the concentration camps set up by Nazi Germany to exterminate Jews.
Some six million Jews were killed during the Nazi Holocaust.
Immediately after Mr Dabbashi mentioned the concentration camps, French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, US deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff, Britain's deputy ambassador Karen Pierce, Belgian Ambassador Johan Verbeke and Costa Rica's deputy ambassador walked out of the council's consultation room.
South Africa's UN Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, the current council president, then ended the meeting.
"We support the South African presidency's decision to close the meeting," Ms Pierce said in a statement. "A number of council members were dismayed by the approach taken by Libya and do not believe that such language helps advance the peace process."
AP