Visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged here Monday evening an end to the warfare in Gaza.
In his statement at a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah after meeting with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Sarkozy said that while the Palestinian national reconciliation is necessary, the priority now is to put an end to the warfare in Gaza.
He said time is now working against peace, and there must be a stop of violence in Gaza, and the entry of humanitarian aids into Gaza must be coordinated.
He added that the European Union has condemned the Israeli operation against Gaza, and he will reiterate this to the Israeli officials whom he is due to meet with later this evening in Jerusalem.
Sarkozy said Hamas bears responsibility for the suffering of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, adding that Hamas is acting irresponsibly by firing rockets into Israel.
Before Sarkozy's statement, Abbas called at the press conference for Israel's immediate stop of the aggression and the resumption of the Palestinian national dialogue.
Abbas said there is a humanitarian crisis happening in Gaza, where the residents there are in lack of all kinds of vital and basic supplies.
When asked by journalist if the PNA is preparing for retaking control of the Gaza Strip, Abbas said, "we are not working on replacing Hamas by force, its not acceptable for us."
Israel launched massive military operation against Gaza on Dec.27, 2008, which has so far killed more than 500 Palestinians. Israel said the objective of the operation is to severely weaken Hamas, which rules Gaza, and prevent the Palestinian militants from firing rockets toward southern Israeli cities.
Source:Xinhua
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