Arab nations took over a UN Security Council debate on civilians in war zones, with Syria accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians and Israel reminding Syria of the 1982 army massacre at Hama.
Syria's UN Ambassador Mikhail Wehbe also said during an all-day debate yesterday that Israel had exchanged "secrets and information" with Lebanon's Hizbollah guerrillas, who have launched raids against Israel for years.
"Israel and Hizbollah have an April memorandum of understanding," Mr Wehbe said.
But Oren David, Israel's UN minister-counselor, said Syria, not Israel, had contacts with Hizbollah.
"Syria is a major supporter of Hizbollah, feeding instability along our northern borders and endangering the lives of Israeli civilians," he said.
Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon last May, but Hizbollah and Lebanon insist the occupied Shebaa farms area is part of Lebanon. The United Nations says it is part of Syria.
The Security Council held an all-day hearing about how to protect civilians in war, with two reports by Secretary-General Kofi Annan giving more than 50 recommendations and emphasizing that civilians in the past two decades were the targets of conflicts rather than accidental victims.
Most members spoke in general terms or referred to vulnerable populations in Africa. But Arab envoys late in the day complained bitterly that Annan and the council did not highlight Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and the seven-month uprising against it. At least 385 Palestinians, 74 Israelis and 13 Israeli Arabs have lost their lives.