Speaking on US television, President Barack Obama has said that despite the raid by Israel on the flotilla attempting to reach Gaza, the peace process had to continue. Although Israel had “legitimate security concerns" about the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, he added that the blockade of Gaza was “preventing people from pursuing economic opportunities.” In an interview on CNN's show 'Larry King Live' [watch excerpts here] Obama described this week's flotilla incident as a "tragic situation" but also said it needed to be used as an opportunity to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. “The status quo is unsustainable… We’ve got to have a situation where the Palestinians have an opportunity.”
The Obama administration has taken a cautious line while Israel faces international condemnation over the deaths of nine activists. US officials have said the incident underscored the need to make progress in indirect peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority which began last month but have so far failed to make much headway.
Media reports in Israel said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering easing the Gaza blockade, provided Israel can continue to inspect all shipments prior to their delivery to the Gaza Strip. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and many European leaders have demanded that Israel lift the blockade immediately. The diplomatic Quartet for the Middle East peace – which includes the United Nations, the European Union, Russia, and the United States –stressed the need "to fundamentally improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza," according to Ban.
Netanyahu on Wednesday defended the Gaza blockade, insisting that it was key in preventing weapons from reaching the Palestinian territory, where the Islamist rulers use tunnels on the Egyptian border to smuggle in weapons. "Hamas continues to arm itself, and Iran continues to transfer weapons to Hamas," he said.
