The United Nations Security Council has acquired a new importance this week in efforts to resolve the Middle East conflict.
The debate on the draft resolution from the Palestinian UN observer mission has highlighted the potential of the council in attempts to reach a settlement.
The draft resolution arose out of the initiative by the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Abdullah, who indicated the possibility that if Israel withdrew from the occupied territories it could be recognised within its 1967 borders by the Arab states.
At least equally impant as a source of inspiration for the resolution was the statement to the council last week by the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan. Occupation, violence and economic deprivation were identified by him as three interlinked problems in the situation which needed to be resolved in a comprehensive way. "Truly, we are nearing the edge of the abyss," he said.
The draft resolution was not put to a vote because some Arab states felt it was premature in its emphasis on a possible trade-off between Israeli withdrawal and the full normalisation of relations between Israel and the Arab world.
There is likely to be intense diplomatic activity between now and the Arab League Summit in Beirut on March 27th and 28th. Normally a final communiqué is issued at the end of such meetings and the hope of peacemakers would be that the sentiments in the UN Security Council resolution will be endorsed.
The council debate was notable for the terms in which the US spoke about the need for Israeli as well as Palestinian restraint: "Chairman Arafat requires an infrastructure to implement his orders. Actions by Israel against the Palestinian security apparatus charged with preventing violence and terror are counterproductive. The US is looking to both parties to help create an environment for moving forward."
Norway also spoke in unusually strong terms to the two sides, stating that the Israeli bombardment of Palestinian cities and institutions, was unacceptable and calling on the Palestinian Authority to do its utmost to halt the terrorist attacks.
Norway's Mr Ole Peter Kolby said the Israeli and Palestinian leaders seemed locked in a battle with no exit strategies and that was an untenable position.