John kerry discussed proposals for Gaza ceasefire with Egypt
Cairo: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday discussed proposals for a Gaza ceasefire with Egypt. Kerry, who arrived on Monday in the wake of growing casualties from the Israeli-Hamas conflict, held talks in Cairo with UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who has also come to the Egyptian capital to push for a truce.
Kerry voiced appreciation to Egypt for proposing a truce that was embraced by Israel but rejected by the Islamist Hamas, which has tense ties with Cairo’s new government and has refused to end violence unless Israel ends its eight-year blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Kerry, who has invested much of his tenure in an unsuccessful bid for a lasting Middle East peace agreement, said he would discuss the Egyptian proposal, which calls for a ceasefire followed by negotiations.
The talks were on “how we can build on it and hopefully find not only a way to a ceasefire but a way to deal with the underlying issues, which are very complicated”, he said.
The United States has publicly welcomed Egypt’s plan and stood behind Israel, laying blame for the conflict squarely on Hamas which has showered the Jewish state with rockets.
