Washington - The United States is pushing for a ceasefire
in the Gaza Strip that would require Hamas to halt rocket attacks
into Israel but would also open crossings into the isolated enclave,
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Monday.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke to more than a dozen
counterparts over the weekend seeking support for the proposal,
which would also address tunnels used by Hamas to smuggle weapons
from Egypt, McCormack said.
The goal is to create a 'sustainable, durable ceasefire' that
would bring a lasting end to Hamas rocket attacks into southern
Israel, which triggered Israel's military offensive in Gaza nine
days ago.
More than 500 Palestinians have died in the fighting. Israel has
rejected international calls for an immediate ceasefire, seeking to
cripple the Hamas radical movement enough to keep it from firing
rockets into Israel.
President George W Bush said Monday that any ceasefire would have
to ensure Hamas cannot continue rocket attacks.
'All of us, of course, would like to see ... violence stop, but
not at the expense of an agreement that does not prevent the crisis
from happening again,' Bush said.
Rice spoke with foreign ministers in the Middle East, including
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, as well as with her
counterparts in Europe. Among them were British Foreign Secretary
David Miliband, and the French and German foreign ministers Bernard
Kouchner and Frank Walter-Steinmeier.
Rice cancelled a trip to China to handle the crisis in the Middle
East. Israel launched its massive air assault on December 27, and
began a ground invasion on Saturday.
McCormack again urged Israel to take steps to avoid civilian
casualties.
'Every sovereign state needs to decide for itself how best to
defend itself,' McCormack said.
USA
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