President Barack Obama called Monday for the international community to focus on ending the fighting in Gaza , as Secretary of State John Kerry headed to the Middle East to make a renewed push for a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel.
Voicing fresh concern about civilian casualties, Obama reaffirmed his belief that Israel has the right to defend itself against rockets being launched by Hamas into Israel. Yet he contended that Israel’s military action in Gaza had already done “significant damage” to the Hamas terrorist infrastructure and said he doesn’t want to see more civilians getting killed.
“We have serious concerns about the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives,” Obama said. “And that is why it now has to be our focus and the focus of the international community to bring about a ceasefire that ends the fighting and can stop the deaths of innocent civilians, both in Gaza and in Israel.”
As Obama spoke from South Lawn of the White House, Kerry was flying to Cairo, where he planned to join diplomatic efforts to resume a truce that had been agreed to in November 2012. He will urge the Palestinian terrorist group to accept a cease-fire agreement offered by Egypt that would halt nearly two weeks of fighting. More than 500 Palestinians and 20 Israelis have been killed in that time.
The Obama administration, including Kerry, is sharpening its criticism of Hamas for its rocket attacks on Israel and other provocative acts, like tunneling under the border. It is also toning down an earlier rebuke of Israel for attacks in Gaza that have killed civilians, including children.
In a statement Sunday evening, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the U.S. and international partners were “deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation, and the loss of more innocent life.”
Two Americans, Max Steinberg of California and Nissim Carmeli of Texas, who fought for the Israel Defense Forces were killed in fighting in Gaza. The State Department confirmed the names of the two U.S. citizens Sunday night.
Cairo’s cease-fire plan is backed by the U.S. and Israel. But Hamas has rejected the Egyptian plan and is relying on governments in Qatar and Turkey for an alternative proposal. Qatar and Turkey have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is also linked to Hamas but banned in Egypt.
Making the rounds of Sunday talk shows, Kerry said Hamas needs to recognize its own responsibility for the conflict.
“It’s ugly. War is ugly, and bad things are going to happen,” Kerry told ABC’s “This Week.”
Both Obama and Kerry have said Israel has a right to defend itself Kerry accused Hamas of attempting to sedate and kidnap Israelis through a network of tunnels that terrorists have used to stage cross-border raids.
(AP)
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18 Responses
he sure looks serious
Maybe let’s re check where this Barack was really born and remove him from being president
This fool is also concerned about the 700 lost lives within 48 hours in Syria?
What a jerk!
He’s sending Con Jerky to handle the matter! Let him just golf in Martha’s Vinyard and mind his own business for when he does the world seems to do just fine!
Why we should listen to this mamzer?
Mr. President:
Your words may sound supportive and consoling, but you have a major problem. You have demonstrated for almost 6 years that you are a pathological liar. Your promises have all gone unfulfilled, and you have told us countless times messages that were the opposite of the truth. Your track record on Israel is dismal, and your support of terror, as well as your anti-Israel spewings are beyond the expectation of even the most liberal Americans. I am not interested in your statements. I want to see action. I want to see you stick it to Hamas, and to support Israel throughout the process. DO NOT demand concessions from Israel, and do not advocate anything that limits Israel’s security regardless of the demands of Hamas and the rest of the Muslim world. Hamas must be totally (as in 100%) demilitarized. These savages cannot be trusted with anything that can be used as a weapon. They are obsessed with murdering Israelis and Jews all over the world. No terror group should be given the dignity of being a party to negotiation or having their demands heard.
Mr. President:
You may be overwhelmed with the international crises facing you, and it might seem easier to take another vacation or golf trip. You were not elected for that. You need to take a strong stand against terror. Your presidency has been marred by consistent incompetence and grievous lies. Taking a stand against enemies of humanity might rescue your legacy (doubtful, but it’s the only chance).
Hey Obummer. KISS OFF!
Islam is a religion of peace??? Look at USA State department’s terror organization’s? Besides very very few, it’s all Muslim groups. (o, yeah they put Kahane Chai right after Hizballah, I guess just to add 1 Jewish organization to the list)
I wonder why USA pushing to negotiate with Hamas, I though we don’t negotiate with terrorists?
http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm
He’s not used to seeing anything be effective and work.
A colossal mistake made by much of the world is the belief that Islam is a religion. It is absolutely not. It pushes the agenda of a religion as a decoy. In reality, it is an ideology that is founded on principles of savagery, jungle mentality, and flagrant violation of basic human morals. All this stuff about allah is just the rhetoric that they use to fool the world. No religion believes in human sacrifice (Molech mentioned in the Torah became extinct long ago). The mission to maim and murder is also incompatible with religion. They are fundamentally evil and anti-social. There is no cure for such conditions. They need to be exterminated.
Can someone provide YWN readers and US government officials with the number of civilians Hamas and their counterparts have killed with their suicide bombers, missiles, tractors, kidnappings, etc. since, let’s say, the disengagement (but any time frame will do)? Leave alone that the Israeli civilians killed were targeted (like how many IDF soldiers and officers may be found in Sabbarro or on an Egged bus on any given day?). Leave alone that most, if not all the Gaza civilians tragically killed in the current war could have been saved had they been permitted to leave or not used as Human Shields. Just the cold hard numbers. How many Israeli civilians have been targeted and killed by Hamas and Hizbullah since the disengagement or since Oslo? How about a simple year-by-year break down? Let’s see how the numbers compare.
Concerned concerned concerned.
Its a good thing that Barry is “concerned”. Can you just imagine if he wasn’t “concerned”? Oey vavoey.
I’m not sure who’s worse, him or that that Japanese nutcase from the UN who fell off the moon!
“DO NOT demand concessions from Israel, and do not advocate anything that limits Israel’s security ”
Regarding the Gaza war, he has done neither. The ceasefire he is promoting is the one that Israel signed on to last Wednesday.
“Hamas must be totally (as in 100%) demilitarized.”
Whether to pursue that goal is a decision for Israel, not the US. And Israel has indicated that that is not its goal right now.
“A colossal mistake made by much of the world is the belief that Islam is a religion. It is absolutely not.”
You are arguing with mainstream Jewish mesorah here. And people call ME a kofer?
“Significant damage” as the president calls it is not enough. We are tired of having the same game play out every few years. For once and for all we must finish the job. Then and only then will we stop.
Bwahaha! Advice from the doofus who can’t protect our borders here. Yeah, we really care that be is concerned. He’s just annoyed it’s cutting into his tee time.
I believe the second infitada killed over two thousand.
“can’t protect our borders here”
Unarmed desperate children from Central America are rather different from armed Hamas terrorists.
“we must finish the job”
Unless you are an active duty member of the IDF, you have no right to say, “we”. It is the IDF soldiers who are risking their lives, not those of us commenting from the safety of galut America. They deserve our hakarat hatov, not our advice.