Deb Riechmann
The White House, calling Monday for a lasting cease-fire in the Mideast, backed Israel's air attacks in Gaza and said Hamas had shown its "true colors as a terrorist organization." "Right now the people of southern Israel are not able to live in peace," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. "They have to live in bomb shelters a lot of the time. And that's unacceptable." Asked if the U.S. thinks Israel is justified in its strikes in Gaza, Johndroe replied: "The United States understands that Israel needs to take actions to defend itself."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and other lawmakers also expressed support for Israel's right to defend its citizens against rocket attacks from Hamas. "As President-elect Obama has made clear time and again, no country should be forced to tolerate attacks on its people," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). "Hamas is abusing the people of Gaza by using their homes as a base for terror operations. The world should no longer tolerate a terrorist government in the Gaza Strip."
(AP)
