Kerry, Ban in ceasefire push
July 22, 2014
The US secretary of state (pictured above, left) has pledged Washington's strong support for a proposal by Egypt to end the fighting in Gaza, which has claimed about 600 lives, the vast majority of which were Palestinian civilians, over the past 14 days. He also urged the Islamist militant group Hamas to accept the truce, promising that if it did so, there would be an opportunity to address "underlying issues."
"Hamas has a fundamental choice to make and it is a choice that will have a profound impact for the people of Gaza," Kerry told reporters at a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukri (above, right), on Tuesday.
"The Egyptians have provided a framework and a forum for them to be able to come to the table to have a serious discussion together with other factions of the Palestinians," he added.
Shuttle diplomacy
Earlier, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also met with Palestinian and other Arab officials in Cairo, where he expressed his support for the ceasefire plan, urging both Israel and Hamas to stop the violence.
Later, Ban flew on to Tel Aviv, where he met with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Yahon, briefing them on his talks in Cairo earlier in the day.
At a joint press conference, the UN secretary-general described rocket fire into Israel as "shocking." At the same time, he urged the country to exercise "maximum restraint" in its offensive on the Gaza Strip.
"My message to Israelis and Palestinians is the same: Stop fighting and start talking. Military actions will not increase Israel's stability," Ban said.
Netanyahu used the press conference to defend Israel's actions in Gaza, blaming Hamas for the high number of civilian casualties and accusing the group of using civilians as human shields.
Civilians in Gaza "are the victims of the brutal Hamas regime," he said, adding that Israel would continue its offensive until it achieved its aim of "restoring quiet," a reference to the ongoing rocket attacks launched from Gaza.
Hamas has so far rejected the propose ceasefire, arguing that it ignores its demands for a prisoner release and a lifting of Israel's economic blockade of Gaza.
pfd/mkg (dpa, Reuters, AFP)