World Waits On US As Security Council Gaza Resolution Stalled

The UN Security Council on Thursday will try once again to pass a resolution calling for a halt in fighting between Israel and Hamas after previous efforts to win Washington's backing fell short.

Diplomatic wrangling at United Nations headquarters in Manhattan headquarters -- which caused the vote to be postponed again Wednesday -- has come against a backdrop of deteriorating conditions in Gaza and a mounting death toll.

The United Arab Emirates is sponsoring a draft resolution on the conflict which has already been watered down to secure compromise, according to a draft version seen by AFP.

It calls for "the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and for urgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities."

Countries "are engaging at the highest level of diplomacy to reach a text that will have impact on the ground. Diplomacy takes time," said the UAE's ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh.

"If this fails, then we will continue to keep trying... There is too much suffering on the ground for the council to continue to fail on this."

Members of the 15-member council have been grappling for days to find common ground on the resolution, a vote on which was pushed back several times since Monday._AFP