Egypt Calls for Israeli, Palestinian Peace Talks
- Carrie Dedrick
- Published Jul 22, 2014
![Egypt Calls for Israeli, Palestinian Peace Talks](https://i.swncdn.com/media/700w/crosswalk/resource/areas/crosswalk/resources/images/defaultimages/article-large-landscape.png)
Egypt has again called for peace talks between Israel and Gaza reports the AP. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri met with Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday to discuss a ceasefire possibility. Shukri said he is willing to work with world leaders “to not only resolve this issue but also to set in motion once again the peace process that Secretary Kerry has been so actively involved in so as to end this ongoing conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis.”
Kerry agreed that a ceasefire was needed, but did not say outright that he would restart the peace talks that ended in April after nine months of involvement. According to Kerry, the meeting yesterday was intended to “hopefully find not only a way to a ceasefire, but a way to deal with the underlying issues, which are very complicated.”
President Obama has also spoken of a need for a ceasefire to protect the lives of Palestinians and Israelis alike. "We have serious concerns about the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives. And that is why it now has to be our focus and the focus of the international community to bring about a cease-fire that ends the fighting and can stop the deaths of innocent civilians, both in Gaza and in Israel."
At the same time, Obama said Monday that Israel does have a right to protect itself against Palestinian rocket fire that has continued for two weeks.
The Israel-Gaza conflict has now claimed over 570 Palestinian lives and more than two dozen Israeli lives.
Publication date: July 22, 2014