UN Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan has called for an international force to be deployed in the Middle East to stem the violence.
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UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at the UN headquarters in Geneva today. Photograph: Reuters
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He said: "The situation is so dangerous and the humanitarian and human rights situation so appalling, the proposition that a force should be sent in there . . . can no longer be deferred".
Speaking after addressing the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, he appealed for both sides to respect human rights and humanitarian law, saying the situation in the Middle East was "an affront to the conscience of mankind".
Mr Annan said the international community had a duty to "help bring both parties back to civilised standards of conduct," by insisting on respect for human rights, demanding access for humanitarian organisations and respect for freedom of expression.
He said the United Nations could not afford to be neutral and was facing a moral challenge with the deteriorating situation in the Middle East.
Mr Annan pleaded for respect for basic international humanitarian standards, including the Geneva Conventions, "whether by states or by resistance movements".
He said he fully backed the efforts of Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell, who arrived in Israel yesterday, to broker a ceasefire between the two sides.