Published: 12:05PM Tuesday January 06, 2009
Source: Reuters
Source: ReutersFormer US President George W Bush
US President George Bush insisted that any ceasefire to end the
Gaza crisis must include provisions to prevent Hamas from
continuing to use the coastal strip to fire rockets into
Israel.
Bush made clear while he is concerned about deteriorating
conditions for Palestinians living in Gaza that he puts the onus on
Hamas, and he stopped short of calling for an immediate halt to the
fighting as some European leaders have done.
"I understand Israel's desire to protect itself, and that the
situation now taking place in Gaza was caused by Hamas," Bush said
in his first public response to Israel's ground offensive in the
territory.
Israel, which so far has resisted growing international pressure to
halt its offensive, says its objective is not to re-occupy the
Hamas-ruled strip but to put a stop to cross-border Hamas rocket
salvos.
Bush spoke in the Oval Office as Israeli tanks, planes and ground
forces pounded Gaza and Israel's defence minister said the
offensive against Hamas militants in the Palestinian enclave would
go on until Israel was safe.
Bush, who steps down on January 20 when President-elect Barack
Obama takes office, stuck to his position that Hamas, which
advocates Israel's destruction, must first halt rocket fire at
Israel for a truce to take shape.
Many in the Arab world consider Bush biased in favour of
Israel.
One President at a time
Obama, who has promised to make Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking a
high priority, remained largely silent on Gaza, but said Bush
administration officials were briefing him regularly on the
situation.
"When it comes to foreign affairs, it is particularly important to
adhere to the principle of one president at a time, because there
are delicate negotiations taking place right now, and we can't have
two voices coming out of the United States when you have so much at
stake," Obama told reporters in Washington.
Bush, speaking to reporters after a White House meeting with a Sudanese official, said Hamas was to blame for the Gaza crisis.
"Any ceasefire must have the conditions in it so that Hamas does
not use Gaza as a place from which to launch rockets," Bush
said.
International efforts to secure a ceasefire moved ahead with French
President Nicolas Sarkozy and Middle East special envoy Tony Blair
visiting the region, but they had no apparent immediate impact on
the fighting.
The death toll in besieged Gaza rose to at least 541 people over
the 10-day offensive.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino urged Israel to be very
cautious when it comes to civilian casualties.
"The United States is concerned about the humanitarian crisis. We
care about the people of Gaza and therefore have provided millions
of dollars of fresh aid to the United Nations to help," Bush
said.
"All of us of course would like to see violence stop," Bush said,
but added that the cessation should not come at the expense of
steps to prevent a Gaza crisis from recurring.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was pursuing a ceasefire
that would end Hamas rocket fire, reopen border crossings and cut
off smuggling from tunnels in Egypt, State Department spokesman
Sean McCormack said.
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