The Israeli and Palestinian ambassadors to the United Nations had a heated exchange on Monday during a monthly meeting of the U.N. Security Council, which descended into a shouting match over the recent wave of Palestinian terrorist attacks targeting Israeli civilians and the Jewish state’s response to the violence.
Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon broke away from his address to the council to scold Riyad Mansour, the permanent Palestinian observer to the U.N., for "paying the families of the terrorists" and asked, "Will you condemn Palestinians who commit terror attacks against Israelis?"
Mansour’s initial response could not be heard because his microphone was off, but he then replied, "We condemn the killing of all innocent civilians including Palestinian civilians. Do you do the same?"
"You glorify terrorism," Danon said. "Shame on you for doing that."
"We don’t do that," Mansour said. "Shame on you for killing thousands of Palestinian children."
After Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi, president of the council this month, called on both men to maintain order, Danon said to Mansour, "You cannot say it here. Palestinian children are looking at you right now." He then added, "I condemn all acts of terrorism - one sentence you cannot say. Shame on you for that."
"Let my people be free! Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on you! You are an occupier," the Palestinian envoy shot back.
The council president called again for order before Danon announced that there had been an explosion aboard a bus in Jerusalem on Monday evening.
At least 20 people were injured from the blast, which police now have no doubt was a terrorist attack.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed the Security Council earlier and had praised efforts by both parties that "have contributed to a reduction of tensions in recent weeks."
The fiery exchange between the Israeli and Palestinian representatives comes as the Palestinians are circulating a draft U.N. resolution to call on the Security Council to condemn and halt Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
France is pushing to restart negotiations for a two-state solution while the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and Russia, which make up the Middle East Quartet, are working on a report to jumpstart peace talks.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization are currently appealing a U.S. court ruling that awarded $655.5 million to a group of families of Americans killed by terror attacks in Israel in the early 2000s that were supported by Palestinian authorities.