UNITED NATIONS, June 1: Syria, which has been using its spot on the Security Council to keep a spotlight on Israeli attacks on Palestinians, assumed the council’s rotating presidency on Saturday for the first time since 1970.

Damascus, which began a two-year term on the 15-nation body in January, will run the council for the month of June before turning it over to Britain on July 1.

The council’s only Arab member this year, Syria has used its seat over the past five months to keep the heat on Israel over its army’s incursions into West Bank towns after a series of Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel.

Its ambassador, Mikhail Wehbe, on behalf of the Palestinians and Arab states, has pushed hard for a string of Security Council resolutions condemning Israeli actions as war crimes, massacres or atrocities. At times, his proposals were more radical than Palestinians and other Arab diplomats wanted.

Due at least in part to his efforts, the council has approved several resolutions critical of Israel in the past few months, but only after they were extensively rewritten to tone down the language and avoid a veto from the United States, Israel’s closest ally.—Reuters