U.S. Calls for Ceasefire in Gaza

Rice's decision to attend the U.N. meeting came before Israeli tank shells killed at least 40 Palestinians on Tuesday at a U.N. school in Gaza where civilians had taken shelter.

Condoleezza Rice Courtesy: cdn.necn.com

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced today that the United States wants Israel to enact "an immediate ceasefire" in Gaza. Yahoo News reports that U.S. officials were quick to stress that they would not budge from their stance that it must be durable, sustainable and indefinite.

Until now, the United States had avoided making any such statement. Rice had a meeting with Obama this morning, and then released the statement that the U.S. expects an "immediate ceasefire".

The language was well received by several European and Arab allies of the United States, who gathered for a U.N. Security Council meeting on how to bring an end to Israel's 11-day-old offensive in Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's decision to attend the U.N. meeting and comments made by her spokesman Sean McCormack, appear to indicate new flexibility in the Bush administration's position on Gaza.

"We would like an immediate ceasefire, absolutely," McCormack said to reporters. "An immediate ceasefire that is durable, sustainable and not time-limited."

The Bush administration has been a staunch supporter of Israel's right to defend itself against Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza. McCormack's comments reportedly stopped short of calling on Israel to halt its actual offensive.

Rice's decision to attend the U.N. meeting came before Israeli tank shells killed at least 40 Palestinians on Tuesday at a U.N. school in Gaza where civilians had taken shelter.

Washington says it will not support a ceasefire with a specific time frame. The Bush Administration says it does remain committed to stopping the Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel.

President-elect Barack Obama, who takes over the Presidency on January 20th, has remained on the sidelines of the issue. But he reportedly broke his silence about the violence today, saying the loss of civilian lives in Gaza and in Israel was a "source of deep concern for me."

Beyond that, Obama said again that he believes only Bush should be the voice of U.S. foreign policy for now.