UN Condemns Hebron Massacre, Peace Talks May Be Imperiled

UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali condemned the Hebron massacre, expressing "deep concern" that the incident could harm fragile peace talks between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The U.N. Security Council planned to take a stand on the incident, with diplomats preparing to issue a statement expressing "revulsion" over the shooting deaths of at least 44 Palestinians. The Organization of Islamic Conference also convened to address the issue.

Key Takeaways:

• The UN Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, strongly condemned the Hebron massacre, describing it as a "despicable act of violence."
• The incident occurred when a Jewish settler opened fire with an assault rifle on Palestinian worshipers at the ancient mosque, resulting in at least 44 deaths.
• The U.N. Security Council met to discuss the incident, with diplomats preparing to issue a statement expressing "revulsion" over the shooting deaths.
• The Organization of Islamic Conference also met to address the issue, with the council president, Djibouti Ambassador Roble Olhaye, stating that the council members had expressed their views on the incident and planned to issue a statement.
• The PLO, which has UN observer status, would need to rely on a Security Council member to request an open meeting, as they cannot make such a request themselves.
• U.N. spokesman Joe Sills noted that the PLO had not made a request for an urgent meeting on the incident.

Statistics:

• At least 44 Palestinians were killed in the Hebron massacre.
• The incident occurred at the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
• The U.N. Security Council planned to issue a statement expressing "revulsion" over the shooting deaths.
• The Organization of Islamic Conference also met to address the issue.

Sources:

• [1] UNITED NATIONS
• Events of Friday, [1] January 1994, specifically the Assembly's morning meeting