Palestinians pushed for a new UN Security Council resolution this morning that would condemn Israel's killing of Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin, an action the United States is bound to oppose.
Sheik Yassin, the quadriplegic spiritual leader of Hamas, died on Monday in an Israeli helicopter missile strike outside a mosque in Gaza. The action has been criticized around the world as an escalation of Middle East violence.
But council members were deadlocked after more than three hours of public council debate late last night, with the United States insisting it would not criticise the assassination without mentioning the suicide bombings Hamas has carried out against Israeli civilians.
However, Mr Nasser al-Kidwa, the Palestinian UN observer, told reporters, "We cannot accept any mentioning of any Palestinian group by name."
Algeria, the Arab member of the council, is conducting negotiations on behalf of the Palestinians and Islamic nations.
"Our goal is to have action taken by the Security Council now in the right way," Mr al-Kidwa told reporters, adding that he was not aiming for a veto from the United States.
During the debate, Israel's UN ambassador, Mr Dan Gillerman, called Sheik Yassin a "godfather of terrorism" and accused the United Nations of singling out his country instead of the 425 attacks that have killed 377 Israelis in three and half years.
"To cast him as a spiritual leader is to attempt to characterize Osama bin Laden as a Mother Teresa," he said.
The United States and Algeria failed earlier on Tuesday to agree on a council statement that would have criticised the killing. A statement, which carried less weight than a resolution, would have needed unanimous endorsement.
If a resolution gets the minimum nine votes and a US veto, Arab nations could take the issue to the 191-member General Assembly where they are bound to get approval as they have done in the past.
Assembly resolutions are not binding as some council measures are.