UN demands immediate Gaza cease fire

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and urging Mideast and world leaders to do more to help end the Israeli-Hamas conflict and promote political dialogue.

Ban said on the third day of an Israeli bombardment of Gaza that has killed at least 360 people - including 62 women and children according to the UN - and wounded some 1,400 that regional and international partners have not done enough.

The secretary-general urged Arab foreign ministers, who are holding an emergency meeting in Cairo on Wednesday, "to act swiftly and decisively to bring an early end to this impasse."

At the same time, he told reporters Monday that "other world leaders must also step up efforts to support a longer term resolution of the issue."

http://www.3news.co.nz/News/UN-demands-immediate-Gaza-cease-fire/tabid/209/articleID/85695/Default.aspx?ArticleID=85695

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian and Egyptian UN ambassadors said here Monday that they asked the UN Security Council to bring Israel into compliance with the world call to put an immediate end to the violence and military actions in Gaza.

The ambassadors spoke to reporters after their meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who voiced his repeated calls for an immediate end to the "unacceptable" acts of violence in Gaza, which has left at least 345 people dead and hundreds of others wounded.

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian permanent observer to the United Nations, told reporters that Israel must be made to comply with the unanimous call of the 15-member council for an immediate end to the violence and bloodshed in Gaza.

Mansour made his appearance before reporters together with Egyptian UN Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz after their meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who voiced his repeated appeals for an early end to the on-going acts of violence in Gaza.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/30/content_10577976.htm

Top officials discuss Gaza op, PM calls for 'iron fist' against Hamas, bans ceasefire talk

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3646912,00.html

<snip>

"Speaking at a meeting with top officials, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert instructed participants to refrain from talking about the possibility of a Gaza ceasefire at this time, while focusing on continuing the offensive against terrorists in Gaza.

"We no longer talk about an exit policy, but rather, we are working in order to secure the Gaza operation's objectives," he said. "As long as the fire continues, the Israeli operation will be expanded."

The meeting was attended by Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and top security officials, including Army Chief Gabi Ashkenazi, Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin, and Mossad Director Meir Dagan.

Participants were told that Hamas asked Senegal, the current president of the Islamic Conference, to secure a ceasefire, in a move reflecting the group's difficult condition in the wake of the IDF assault. However, Israeli officials decided to reject the possibility of a ceasefire at this time.

"We need to continue handling Hamas with an iron fist – while handling the civilian population with kid gloves," Olmert said."

Not exactly Churchill is it? You don't know whether to laugh or cry.