U.N. urges end of Gaza violence

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Sunday urged Israel and Palestinian militants to cease all violence in Gaza after the U.N. secretary-general condemned what he called Israel's "excessive" use of force.

Israel killed 61 people in the Gaza Strip, making Saturday the bloodiest day for Palestinians since an uprising against Israeli occupation began in 2000. Two Israeli soldiers were killed in the fighting.

"Members of the Security Council are deeply concerned about the loss of civilian life in southern Israel and Gaza and condemn the escalation of violence," the council said in a statement read by Russian Ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, the council's current president.

"These events underscore the need for all parties to immediately cease all acts of violence," the statement said.

The statement was agreed at a 5-hour emergency meeting of the Security Council called to discuss an upsurge in Israeli-Palestinian fighting.

The wording was much softer than the speech U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave to the council when the session began on Saturday. Ban sharply condemned both the Israeli assaults and the rocket attacks against Israel.

"While recognizing Israel's right to defend itself, I condemn the disproportionate and excessive use of force that has killed and injured so many civilians, including children," Ban told an emergency session of the council.

"I call on Israel to cease such attacks," he said.