U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on Israel on Wednesday to seriously consider an Egyptian ceasefire proposal as the U.N. Security Council weighed action to end Israel's offensive on Gaza Strip. According to Reuters, Rice spoke by telephone on Wednesday to Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and met Arab ministers as well as her French and British counterparts at the United Nations.
"We are supportive of the Mubarak initiative ... we are saying (to the Israelis) that it is an effort worth working on," said a senior U.S. official traveling with Rice. On his part, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he saw the "first glimmerings" of a ceasefire. "But it's far too early to say we can get a breakthrough," Miliband told Sky News from the United Nations.
Meanwhile, top Israeli ministers on Wednesday approved a tougher war on Hamas. Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak was given the green light by the security cabinet to order a deeper offensive into Gaza towns as part of the campaign to to halt Hamas cross-border rocket attacks, a senior defence official told AFP. But Barak has also decided to send an envoy to Cairo on Thursday to get details on the Egyptian ceasefire plan.
The cabinet meeting "approved continuing the ground offensive, including a third stage that would broaden it by pushing deeper into populated areas," the official said.
The final decision will be left with Barak, the official added.
