The UN General Assembly yesterday was set to take up a bid by Arab nations to get around this week's US veto of a Security Council resolution aimed at pressuring Israel to drop a threat to "remove" Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
The 191-nation assembly, where Washington has no veto, was due to meet in emergency session at 11am to weigh a resolution just like the one blocked by the US on Tuesday.
A vote is expected by the end of the day and is likely to reveal deep divisions in the quartet of international mediators -- the US, Russia, the EU and the UN -- responsible for the road map intended to guide Israelis and Palestinians to lasting peace.
The US is certain to vote against any Arab-backed resolution, Russia is likely to vote in favor and the 15 EU states are divided after failing on Thursday to agree on a common position.
Turning to the General Assembly after a US veto in the Security Council is a time-honored tactic for the Arab bloc as it traditionally enjoys strong support there.
But the measure will not carry the same weight.
While council resolutions on peace and security matters can be binding on world governments, assembly measures merely reflect the will of governments around the world, each of which has one vote in the body.
The US infuriated the Arab world by using its veto to kill a resolution drafted by Palestinian UN envoy Nasser al-Kidwa and endorsed by Arab and nonaligned nations.
The measure demanded that "Israel, the occupying power, desist from any act of deportation and cease any threat to the safety of the elected president of the Palestinian Authority."
It also called for an end to all acts of violence and increased efforts to implement the international road map.
Eleven council members voted in favor of the draft while Britain, Germany and Bulgaria abstained.
US Ambassador John Negroponte said he vetoed the measure because it failed to explicitly condemn Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade -- Palestinian groups blamed for suicide bombings in Israel.
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