Obama and the Gaza Ceasefire - Middle East

The White House: Here are the readouts of the telephone chats between POTUS and PM Netanyahu of Israel and President Morsi of Egypt.  To Israeli PM the Oval stated the following, " President Obama spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu today and reiterated his commitment to Israel’s security.

 

The President made clear that no country can be expected to tolerate rocket attacks against civilians.

 

The President expressed his appreciation for the Prime Minister’s efforts to work with the new Egyptian government to achieve a sustainable ceasefire and a more durable solution to this problem.

 

The President commended the Prime Minister for agreeing to the Egyptian ceasefire proposal – which the President recommended the Prime Minster do – while reiterating that Israel maintains the right to defend itself.

 

The President said that the United States would use the opportunity offered by a ceasefire to intensify efforts to help Israel address its security needs, especially the issue of the smuggling of weapons and explosives into Gaza.

 

The President said that he was committed to seeking additional funding for Iron Dome and other US-Israel missile defense programs. ".  Thus POTUS placed pressure on Israel to take the ceasefire, in this case it was the right move, the Israeli people do not support getting sucked in to ground war in Gaza, it would be bloody and the World Community would not support such an over reaction from their point of view, its Iran that Israel has to worry about.   That is the next major crisis folks. 

On Egypt, the Oval stated the following, " President Obama spoke to President Morsi today. The President thanked President Morsi for his efforts to achieve a sustainable ceasefire and for his personal leadership in negotiating a ceasefire proposal.  President Morsi expressed appreciation for President Obama’s efforts in this regard. 

President Obama and President Morsi agreed on the importance of working toward a more durable solution to the situation in Gaza.

President Obama reaffirmed the close partnership between the United States and Egypt, and welcomed President Morsi's commitment to regional security.  ".  Lets recall POTUS of late would not call Egypt an ally, this is a test for the new Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, can they keep Hamas under control, prevent the ceasefire breaking down in a few months and the US and Israel pointing the finger at Egypt.   This blog is not holding its breath folks, this will not last, they never do in the Middle East.