Kerry Arrives in Israel in Effort to Broker a Gaza Cease-Fire
Secretary of State John Kerry made a surprise visit to Israel on Wednesday, as he pressed his effort to forge a cease-fire to bring a halt to the bitter fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Mr. Kerry’s plane touched down at Ben-Gurion International Airport just a day after the United States Federal Aviation Administration suspended American civilian flights to Israel.
Mr. Kerry will visit Jerusalem and the West Bank and is scheduled to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel; Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority; and Ban Ki-moon, secretary general of the United Nations.
The F.A.A. action was taken after a Hamas rocket fell about a mile from the airport, leading to what the agency called “a potentially hazardous situation created by the armed conflict in Israel and Gaza.”
Ben-Gurion airport is the main international gateway to Israel, and the F.A.A.’s decision prompted complaints from Israeli officials that it amounted to a reward to Hamas for its missile attacks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel spoke with Mr. Kerry on Tuesday night to ask his help in getting the suspension lifted. Jen Psaki, the State Department spokeswoman, issued a statement later, saying that the F.A.A. restriction had been made to protect American carriers and citizens, and would be reviewed within 24 hours.
Israel agreed last week to Egypt’s proposal for a cease-fire but soon resumed its airstrikes, and eventually sent troops into Gaza, after Hamas continued to fire rockets and sent militants to carry out attacks in Israel using tunnels dug from Gaza.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/24/world/middleeast/kerry-israel-gaza.html?emc=edit_na_20140723
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