"We urge all parties to act with restraint until this humanitarian ceasefire begins at 8:00 a.m. local time on Friday, Aug. 1, 2014, and to fully abide by their commitments," spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement.
"We believe the only sustainable way to address Israel's security concerns and enable Palestinians in Gaza to lead normal lives is through a permanent ceasefire agreement," he said, urging the two sides to begin negotiations immediately in Cairo toward a more durable truce.
"The United States stands ready to support the successful conclusion of these negotiations, working with Israel, the Palestinian authority, Egypt, the United Nations and other partners in the region," he added.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry announced hours ago that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a 72-hour humanitarian truce, during which the Israeli and Palestinian delegations will travel to Cairo for separate negotiations to reach a more durable ceasefire.
Nearly four weeks of conflict in Gaza have left more than 1,400 Palestinians dead and 8,000 others injured, most of whom civilians. The United Nations estimates that up to 440,000 people in Gaza are now displaced, almost 24 percent of the population.
Sources: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
1/8/14
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Remarks on the Humanitarian Cease-fire Announcement in Gaza...
ReplyDeleteJohn Kerry
Secretary of State
New Delhi, India
August 1, 2014
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Good morning. I’m sorry to get you all up at this hour. I’m not going to take any questions, but I think a few of the staff will be around to answer a few questions for you, and I’ll just make a brief statement.
This morning, Israel and the Palestinian factions have agreed that they are now prepared to implement a 72-hour unconditional humanitarian cease-fire. So starting later this morning at 8:00 August 1st, the parties are expected to cease all offensive military activities, and neither side will advance beyond its current locations. They will stay where they are in place. Israel will be able to continue its defensive operations for those tunnels that are behind its lines, and the Palestinians will be able to receive food, medicine, and additional humanitarian assistance, as well as to be able to tend to their wounded, bury their dead, be able to in safe areas travel to their homes, and take advantage of the absence – hopefully, hopefully – of violence for these 72 hours.
Then, as soon as the cease-fire is underway tomorrow morning – I talked to the Egyptian foreign minister tonight – Egypt will issue invitations to the parties to come to Cairo immediately in order to engage in serious and focused negotiations with Egypt to address the underlying causes of this conflict. And we hope and we expect both sides to raise all the topics of concern. The parties, obviously, need to find a way to address Israel’s security concerns and to ensure that the people of Gaza can live in safety and in dignity. And for our part, the United States will be sending a small delegation to Cairo to assist and take part in these negotiations.
As I said, this will last for 72 hours – three days – precious time. It is a lull of opportunity, a moment for the sides and the different factions to be able to come together with the state of Israel in an effort to try to address ways to find a sustainable cease-fire and then, obviously, ultimately, over a longer period of time, address the underlying issues. Let me also add that tomorrow morning the United States will also join in the effort to provide humanitarian assistance. President Obama has made available some $47 million to help ensure that some of the relief is able to come in, and many of our international partners have also made commitments over the course of the last weeks........................http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2014/08/230072.htm
1/8/14