U.S. Blames Hamas for Gaza Violence
The United States on Thursday blamed Hamas for an explosion of violence in Gaza after salvoes of rockets were fired into Israel in retaliation for the killing of the group's military chief.
Expressing regret for the victims on both sides of the conflict, White House spokesman Jay Carney said there was "no justification" for the violence on the part of Hamas, saying it "does nothing to help the Palestinians."
Carney's statement, given to reporters aboard Air Force One as it carried the president to New York, built on the U.S. account of a telephone conversation the night before between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Obama called on his counterpart in Israel to "make every effort to avoid civilian casualties," while stressing Israel's right to defend itself from Hamas' attacks, the White House said.
The two leaders agreed that Hamas needed to stop attacks on Israel to "allow the situation to de-escalate," the statement continued, putting the blame for the outbreak of violence squarely in the hands of the Islamist movement.
Source: Agence France Presse
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