[State Department] Secretary of State Rice told the UN Security Council Thursday: "Our goal must be the stabilization and normalization of Gaza through the implementation of a durable and fully respected cease-fire and an end to all terrorist activities....We must establish an international consensus that Gaza must never again be used as a launching pad for rockets against Israeli citizens, because it is important to remember how this crisis began. Violence in Gaza was instigated by Hamas, a terrorist group that called for the destruction of Israel. Eighteen months ago, Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in a coup, and since then, thousands of guns and rockets and mortars have been smuggled into Gaza....Hamas' commitment to violence is not only an attack on Israel, but also on the two-state solution." "I want to remind the Council also that Hamas continues to hold IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, and he must be released."
2009-01-09 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive