Libya
On 1 December 2008 (several weeks prior to the start of "Operation Cast Lead"), Libya sent a ship with what it claimed was 3,000 tons of humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip. Israeli warships intercepted the vessel and turned it back, stating that the ship was suspected of carrying weapons and Iranian military experts. A senior Libyan government official responded:
"The Israeli warships are making it difficult for the ship to reach the Gaza coast, in spite of the fact that this is a civilian ship, sent to help Palestinians during the siege".
On 3 January 2009, Libya, the only Arab member of the UN Security Council, called on all parties "to observe an immediate cease-fire.". In the draft, Libya expressed "serious concern at the escalation of the situation in Gaza, in particular, after the launching of the Israeli ground offensive". According to diplomats, the United States refused to back the Libyan-drafted text, killed the initiative, and refused to back a watered-down call for a truce.
Read more about this topic: Foreign Involvement In The Gaza War