JARUSALEM
Middle East Quartet envoy, Tony Blair, on Monday welcomed an Egyptian initiative to bring about ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the target of a weeklong Israeli offensive.
He said the proposed ceasefire can halt the “tragic" loss of life in Gaza, usher in the possibility of genuine change in it and suspend rockets attacks on Israel.
"I welcome the statement from Egypt, calling on the parties to implement a ceasefire to give a chance for a proper, full and long-term solution to Gaza to be put in place,” Blair said.
A few hours earlier, Egypt proposed an initiative for imposing a ceasefire between Gaza-based resistance factions, on one hand, and Israel, on the other.
The initiative calls on Israel to cease all hostilities in the Gaza Strip, halt any ground operations, and stop targeting civilians, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
It also calls on Gaza-based Palestinian factions to cease all hostilities against Israel, halt rocket fire and cross-border attacks and stop targeting civilians.
The Egyptian initiative also calls for reopening Gaza crossings and facilitating the movement of persons and goods through borders.
Blair said, however, bringing peace to Gaza and giving Israel real and permanent rest from rocket attacks, tunnels and "terrorism" would be the only long-term solution in this regard.
"The hope is that this ceasefire will allow us to put in place such a long-term strategy for the future in Gaza, and the West Bank” Blair said.
"The international community will give its full backing to such an initiative," he added.
Tension has been running high in the Palestinian territories since Israel launched a deadly offensive on Gaza last Monday with the stated aim of halting rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave.
At least 187 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1300 others injured in unrelenting Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip since the operation began last Monday.
Gaza-based resistance factions, for their part, have continued to fire rockets at Israeli cities in response to the ongoing Israeli attacks.
No Israeli fatalities have been reported thus far.
In 2012, the administration of former president Mohamed Morsi – later ousted by Egypt's military – mediated a ceasefire that ended eight days of relentless Israeli attacks on Gaza, which left scores of Palestinians dead.
Under the agreement, Israel agreed to halt airstrikes on the besieged coastal strip, while Palestinian factions – led by Hamas – agreed to stop rocket fire into Israel.
By Turgut Alp Boyraz
www.aa.com.tr/en
