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| Smoke rises during an explosion from an Israeli forces strike in Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012. Israel bombarded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip with nearly 200 airstrikes early Saturday, the military said, widening a blistering assault on Gaza rocket operations by militants to include the prime minister's headquarters, a police compound and a vast network of smuggling tunnels. |
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) -- The White House on Saturday defended Israel's right to defend itself against attack and decide how to respond to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, blaming the ruling Islamic militant Hamas group for starting the conflict.
Obama and Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are in agreement that a de-escalation
of the violence is preferred, provided that Hamas stops sending rocket
into Israel, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters
during the president's flight on Air Force One to Asia.
Israel
launched the offensive on Wednesday by assassinating Hamas' military
commander, but Rhodes said the U.S. believes "the precipitating factor
for the conflict was the rocket fire coming out of Gaza. We believe
Israel has a right to defend itself, and they'll make their own
decisions about the tactics they use in that regard."
He
added, "These rockets have been fired into Israeli civilian areas and
territory for some time now. So Israelis have endured far too much of a
threat from these rockets for far too long, and that is what led the
Israelis to take the action that they did in Gaza."
The
Israeli government has called up thousands of reservists and massed
troops, tanks and other armored vehicles along the border with Gaza,
signaling a ground invasion could be imminent.
Obama has spoken with President Mohammed Morsi of Egypt and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey about the situation.
"They have the ability to play a constructive role in engaging Hamas and encouraging a process of de-escalation," Rhodes said.
Israel
on Saturday hit Gaza with nearly 200 airstrikes, expanding an aerial
assault to include the prime minister's headquarters, a police compound
and a vast network of smuggling tunnels.
"We
wouldn't comment on specific targeting choices by the Israelis other
than to say that we of course always underscore the importance of
avoiding civilian casualties," Rhodes said. "But the Israelis again will
make judgments about their military operations."
Forty-two Palestinians, including 13 civilians, and three Israelis have been killed in this past week's fighting.
