Clinton condemns rocket fire from Gaza

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday denounced rocket fire from the Gaza Strip on Israel and called for those responsible to stop the attacks. “Let me also condemn in the strongest terms the rocket fire from Gaza by terrorists into southern Israel,” Clinton told the UN Security Council. “We call on those responsible to take immediate action to stop these attacks.” Israeli warplanes pounded the Gaza Strip for a fourth day, killing four more Palestinians and raising the toll to 23 dead. Israel says it is hitting back at scores of rocket attacks from Gaza. “And we call on both sides, all sides, to make every effort to restore calm,” the chief US diplomat added. State Department spokesman Mark Toner, asked later if the United States also sought an end to the airstrikes, stood behind Israel. “We’ve been very clear that Israel has the right to self-defense, but we certainly want to see an end to the ongoing violence,” Toner told reporters in Washington. The violence shows “the broader need for a comprehensive peace settlement” and “that we need to get both sides back to the negotiating table,” Toner said. Clinton made the remarks as she informed the Security Council that the United States was pursuing efforts, including on the sidelines of the council session, to broker a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Clinton and other top officials of the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East conflict — the United States, Russia, European Union and United Nations — held talks Monday in New York. Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met at the UN headquarters. EU foreign affairs representative Catherine Ashton joined by videoconference.