Tag Archives: John Kerry

No Truce, but 12-Hour Lull in Gaza Fighting Begins

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Israel and Hamas began a 12-hour humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza Saturday after the efforts of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry failed to produce a longer truce aimed at ending nearly three weeks of fighting.

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The temporary lull appeared unlikely to change the course of the current hostilities amid ominous signs that the war was spilling over into the West Bank and a warning by Israel’s defense minister that it might soon expand its Gaza ground operation “significantly.”

The Israeli military said the 12-hour pause began Saturday at 8 a.m. (1:00 a.m. EST, 0500 GMT). It said troops “shall respond if terrorists choose to exploit” the lull to attack Israeli soldiers or civilians. The military also said “operational activities to locate and neutralize tunnels in the Gaza Strip will continue.”

Israel launched a major aerial offensive in Gaza on July 8 and later sent ground troops into the Hamas-ruled territory in a bid to halt Palestinian rocket fire and destroy a vast network of cross-border tunnels used by militants to stage attacks.

President Serzh Sargsyan had a telephone conversation with the US Secretary of State John Kerry

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In the evening of November 18, President Serzh Sargsyan had a telephone conversation with the US Secretary of State John Kerry. The call was initiated by the American side. Discussed were issues related to the Armenian-American bilateral relations and cooperation, as well as issues pertinent to the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on November 19 in Vienna which will be held with the participation of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office. On the eve of the meeting in the Austrian capital, the US Secretary of State reiterated the unequivocal support of the United States to a peaceful resolution of the NK conflict. The parties underscored that there is no alternative to a negotiated solution of the conflict and noted that it is necessary to find mutually acceptable mechanisms for the resolution of the conflict based on the fundamental principles.