The UN Security Council Wednesday extended a welcome to the ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 1,300 Palestinians were killed in the three-week conflict.
This was contained in a presidential statement read to the press here by French UN Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, who holds the presidency of the 15-member Security Council for January, after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon briefed the council on his just-concluded Middle East tour.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian permanent observer to the United Nations, told the press here that the speech by the UN chief at the Security Council and the press statement are "appropriate."
Meanwhile, Mansour said that those Israelis who launched military action against Palestinians should be brought to justice.
Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire Saturday in its 22-day offensive that left more than 1,300 Palestinians killed and more than 5,400 others injured. Israel started to pull its forces out of Gaza on Wednesday, reports said.