UN:Western UN envoys walked out of a Security Council discussion on Wednesday evening after Libya's UN ambassador likened the plight of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to the Nazi Holocaust.
Diplomats said that the comments came in a speech by Libya's deputy permanent UN representative, Ibrahim Dabbashi, who also holds the title of ambassador.
"The Libyan ambassador compared the situation in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust," said a western diplomat who was present at a council discussion on the Middle East. "Afterwards, the western envoys stood up and left the room in protest."
Among those who left the chamber were the US, French, British and Belgian envoys, diplomats said. Some others remained.
The remark came during a discussion on a draft statement proposed by Libya and some other countries expressing serious concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
South Africa's ambassador, Dumisani Kumalo, currently president of the 15-nation council, said that the council had again failed to reach an agreement and would return to the issue.