Libya has called for an emergency Security Council meeting to discuss a UN report that found Israel guilty of war crimes during its offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Libya circulated a letter on Tuesday on behalf of the UN Arab group requesting an emergency meeting of the body to consider the report by the UN Human Rights Council's Gaza war commission, Libyan deputy ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi told AFP.

The independent fact-finding mission headed by former international war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone released a report last month mainly accusing Israel of committing war crimes, including deliberate targeting of civilians, during the three-week Gaza war.

Arab diplomats said the Security Council was to hold consultations on Wednesday to decide whether to hold a formal meeting on the Goldstone report.

The Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council decided on Friday to delay until March a vote on a resolution that would have condemned Israel's non-cooperation with the investigation and pass on the report to the Security Council.

The decision was made under pressure from the United States, Israel's closest Middle East ally, the European Union and Russia and was welcomed by the Palestinian Authority delegation.

A Libyan UN envoy, Ahmed Gebreel, said his country, which currently has a Security Council seat, had requested a meeting 'because of the seriousness of the report and because we think it's too long to wait until March'.

A statement by the Palestinian observer mission at the United Nations said it fully supported the Libyan request for a Security Council meeting.

This is while the US has been taking advantage of its veto power in the Security Council to block any action or statement against Israel.