By Jessica Reed
In spite of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan having previously called for an immediate ceasefire, violence has been dramatically stepping up in the Middle East for the past two weeks. On the 22nd day since the beginning of the hostilities NGOs reported about 842 killed civilians, as well as thousands wounded or displaced as the UN Security Council's diplomats try to reach agreement upon a common resolution demanding full cessation of violence.
For many the diplomatic process is too slow, costing too many innocent lives. The Ceasefire Campaign thinks the UN Security Council needs to know that the entire world is watching, waiting for them to make an authoritative decision which would help handling the crisis. They launched a petition 'demanding that the members of the UN Security Council take immediate action to end [the Middle East] bloodshed', hoping to reach one million signatures this week and to publicize the world wide efforts in major newspapers across the globe.
You can read and sign the petition here.
Elsewhere: Condoleezza Rice says UN resolution 'won't end all fighting'+ Lebanon's Daily Star publishes the UN Security Council's draft resolution, which calls for 'the immediate cessation by Hizbullah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations'.
