Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

World

Kerry looking for a Mideast cease-fire, but acknowledges differences run deep

Associated Press
Published | Updated
  • e037c53f-
    Image 1 of 3

    Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to reporters as he meets with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, July 21, 2014. Kerry has returned to the Middle East as the Obama administration attempts to bolster regional efforts to reach a cease fire and sharpens its criticism of Hamas in its conflict with Israel. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, Pool) (The Associated Press)

  • f20e8754-
    Image 2 of 3

    Secretary of State John Kerry and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon make statements to reporters in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, July 21, 2014. Kerry has returned to the Middle East as the Obama administration attempts to bolster regional efforts to reach a cease fire and sharpens its criticism of Hamas in its conflict with Israel. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, Pool) (The Associated Press)

  • 23e144a5-
    Image 3 of 3

    President Barack Obama makes a statement on the situation in Ukraine and Gaza, at the White House in Washington, Monday, July 21, 2014. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (The Associated Press)

CAIRO – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is hoping to get international support for a Mideast cease-fire. But he acknowledges the differences between Israel and Hamas run very deep and must be addressed in any long-term solution.

The U.S. stepped up calls Monday for a global push to end fighting in the Gaza Strip as Kerry tried to help broker a new cease-fire between Israel and Hamas militants — the third since 2009. But he said those underlying issues must be confronted.

President Barack Obama, meanwhile, is trying a delicate balancing act on the Mideast conflict. Obama reaffirmed his belief that Israel has the right to defend itself against a barrage of more than 1,500 rockets launched by Hamas, while voicing fresh concern about civilian casualties.