Ahead of Olmert's visit to the United States yesterday, the US on Saturday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning an Israeli attack in Gaza that killed 19 Palestinian civilians and urged a quick withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The artillery attack on Wednesday was attributed to a "technical error" by Olmert, who has expressed sorrow for the deaths.

Nine of the council's 15 members voted for the measure, while four abstained.

But the "no" vote cast by US Ambassador John Bolton, his second since he arrived at UN headquarters a little over a year ago, was enough to kill the resolution.

The measure, proposed by Qatar and backed by Arab, Islamic and nonaligned nations, would have called on the Palestinian Authority to end violence, urged the international community to take steps to stabilise the situation, and condemned Israeli military operations in Gaza, calling on the Jewish state to withdraw troops.

Seven children and four women were among the dead in the attack, with Israeli artillery targeting a Beit Hanoun orange grove.

But Bolton said the US was "disturbed at the language of the resolution which is in many places biased against Israel and politically motivated."

The suggestion of a mechanism to protect civilians would raise false hopes, he said, adding that he was disturbed the measure made no mention of Palestine's Hamas government, which refuses to acknowledge Israel's right to exist.

Source: China Daily