World Notes UNITED NATIONS

Israel's troubles with the U.N. keep growing. Last week Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar proposed a direct Security Council role in protecting Palestinians in the occupied territories. In a report ordered by the council after 20 Arabs were killed by Israeli forces on Jerusalem's Temple Mount last month, Perez de Cuellar suggested the 164 nations that signed the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention convene to discuss ways to prevent human-rights violations in the territories, including the designation of a "protecting power" for the Palestinians.

That idea puts the U.S. in a difficult situation. Supporting the proposals could alienate Washington's longtime ally, but if the U.S. blocks council action, it risks upsetting the unity of the anti-Iraq coalition.

No such ambivalence came from Israel, which rejected the proposals. The Israeli ambassador to the U.N. reiterated his country's contested view that the Geneva Convention rules of occupation do not legally apply to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He added that Israel has "sole responsibility" for administering those areas and that "this responsibility is not subject to review or intervention by other authorities."