UNITED NATIONS (Islamweb & News Agencies) - Palestinian diplomats sought action from the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to halt Israel's seizure of key Palestinian offices and raids into the West Bank.
Nasser al-Kidwa, the Palestinian U.N. observer, said he would request a meeting of the 15-member council on Israel's takeover last Friday of Orient House in Jerusalem, the unofficial Palestinian headquarters, and the occupation army's incursion into Jenin on the Palestinian West Bank on Tuesday.
Al-Kidwa, who spoke privately to Security Council President Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia, and then to U.S. officials, wants an open council meeting on Friday.
He said he hoped this would lead to a resolution demanding an end to the seizure of Palestinian offices as well as a request for international monitors, a proposal the United States has rejected several times over the past year.
``It is a qualitative escalation,'' al-Kidwa told Reuters. ''We want the council to meet and take action and adopt a formal resolution.
``Until yesterday our idea was to focus on East Jerusalem and at the same time be ready to enlarge the resolution after consultations with members. Now, we have to deal with both things at the same time,'' he said.
Al-Kidwa said he expected the formal request to the council to be made by the 50-nation Organization of Islamic Conference on the Palestinians' behalf.
Also on Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed concern about Israel's deepest thrust into Palestinian-controlled territory.
Annan, in a statement, said the incursion into the West bank town of Jenin, an area entirely under the control of the Palestinian Authority, would only escalate tensions.
He urged all parties to ``exercise restraint'' and return to the peace process, U.N. deputy spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva said.
``He is concerned about the incursion into Jenin. Such a use of military force will only lead to an increase in tension,'' Almeida e Silva said.
Tuesday's action in Jenin, under the cover of darkness, was Israel's deepest incursion into Palestinian-controlled territory on the West Bank. Tanks rolled into the town and then withdrew three hours later after their bulldozers demolished a Palestinian police station.
The raid followed a day-long troop build-up near Jenin, the suspected base of two Resistance bombers who launched attacks in Israel in recent days.
After Israel seized Orient House and other Palestinian offices, Palestinian officials have said cease-fire talks would be fruitless if Israel did not relinquish the buildings.
Israeli officials first said the takeover would be permanent but then said the plan was to hold onto the building for six months.
More than 500 Palestinians and some 150 Israelis have died in the violence which erupted after peace talks were deadlocked and Ariel Sharon, now Israel's prime minister, visited holy sites in Jerusalem on Sept. 28.