Kerry Calls on Netanyahu to De-Escalate Crisis in Gaza - East Idaho News
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Kerry Calls on Netanyahu to De-Escalate Crisis in Gaza

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Getty 071714 kerrynetanyahu?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1405656150142 U.S. Department of State(JERUSALEM) — Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to emphasize the need to avoid further escalation between Israel and Hamas.

Kerry urged the leader to restore the 2012 cease-fire as soon as possible, while Netanyahu described Thursday’s terrorist attack near Kibbutz Sufa and the imminent threat to Israeli civilians posed by Hamas tunnels from the Gaza Strip, according to the State Department.

Following Israel’s launch of forces on the ground in Gaza, the Prime Minister defended his decision by saying the operation will target, “the threat of further terrorist infiltration through tunnels into Israel.”

While Kerry reinforced the United States’ support for Israel’s right to defend itself, he said the mission should be precise in its aim and emphasized the protection of civilians.


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