(Reuters) U.S. Secretary of State Rice urged Israel on Monday to give diplomacy a chance to win the release of an Israeli soldier taken hostage by militants in Gaza. "There really needs to be an effort now to try and calm the situation, not to let the situation escalate, and to give diplomacy a chance to work to try to get this release," Rice said. Israeli Prime Minister Olmert said, "The time is approaching for a comprehensive, sharp, and severe Israeli operation. We will not wait forever....We will not become a target of Hamas-terrorist blackmail."
2006-06-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive