Ongoing international efforts to bring about a cease-fire in Gaza have failed. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has returned to Washington after the latest attempt, in a sign of growing frustration and new tensions with Jerusalem.
CCTV-America’s Jessica Stone reports from the White House.
U.S. continuing to work towards truce deal
International efforts to bring about a cease-fire in Gaza have failed so far.Just hours after the attack on a Gaza park, Israel’s Prime Minister said Israelis should be ready for a long campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“I said and I repeat: We must be prepared for a protracted campaign,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
The fighting has continued after Secretary Kerry spent five days in three cities trying to negotiate a cease-fire, and another 24-hour truce appeared elusive. Kerry suggested a strategy of negotiating incremental cease-fires. Tensions between Washington and Jerusalem have boiled over on the pages of Israeli newspapers, criticizing Kerry.
The U.S. blames the Israelis for leaking a draft cease-fire agreement and criticizing it. The White House said Monday it was a working document that mirrored an Egyptian cease-fire agreement Israel had previously agreed to.
Khalil Jahshan, an expert on Middle East affairs and the executive director of Arab Center Washington, joined CCTV-America to discuss this ongoing conflict.