The United States appeared headed toward a veto today of an Arab-drafted Security Council resolution that demands a probe of the devastation in the Jenin refugee camp by Israeli troops.
Although the White House said it was not against some kind of investigation of Jenin, US Ambassador Mr John Negroponte said Washington wanted no resolution at all, despite compromises made by Arab delegates after discussions with Britain.
"Alleviating the situation in Jenin should be our priority humanitarian objective at this time. Further Security Council action is not the best way to meet this objective," he told an open council meeting.
"Rather, we can make more of an impact by working directly with the parties on the ground," Mr Negroponte said. Israel has opposed all council measures, calling them unbalanced.
Diplomats said Mr Negroponte threatened a veto in private consultations, a step the United States in recent weeks has been loathe to do, presumably to avoid further inflaming tensions in the Arab world.
Calls have mounted around the world for an investigation of Jenin, the most violent of Israel's incursions in the West Bank over the past two weeks in search of terrorist networks that left the camp in ruins. Reliable death figures are not available.
British Foreign Minister Mr Jack Straw telephoned Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell to see what could be done to break the impasse, the State Department and British officials said.
Britain offered some compromise proposals that would still ask for the investigation and repeat previous resolutions calling for the withdrawal of Israeli troops and tanks from Palestinian cities without delay. But Washington has not responded.
Palestinian UN observer Mr Nasser al-Kidwa told the council the Arab resolution had dropped calls for a third party presence in Palestinian territory, bringing it closer to the British draft.
The Arab measure demands a UN investigation of Jenin, an immediate Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian cities and an end to Israel's siege of Palestinian leader Mr Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
The Security Council approved three resolutions in March and early April demanding an immediate cease-fire and Israeli troop withdrawal from the West Bank. The council called for a peace pact culminating in a Palestinian state.
The United States voted for all three after softening language in order to avoid a veto. UN Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan told reporters yesterday he would approve an investigation but his first priority was to help the living in the Jenin camp, administered by the Palestinian Authority.
He called on Israel to allow humanitarian workers full access, describing the destruction as horrific.