Gaza Truce Holds as U.S. Sees Slowdown in Arms to Israel
By Jonathan Ferziger and Saud Abu Ramadan Aug 15, 2014 6:30 AM ET
Israel and Gaza Strip militants entered the second day of a truce amid disclosures of the U.S. slowing down arms shipments to its Israeli ally during the monthlong conflict.
The five-day cease-fire that started yesterday postpones the threat of a return to hostilities that killed more than 1,900 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, and 67 people on the Israeli side.
While rocket fire from Gaza at Israel triggered Israeli air strikes early yesterday and raised questions about whether the truce would hold, no violence has been reported since. In the meantime, diplomatic tension increased after criticism from the U.S. State Department of Israeli conduct during the fighting was reported in the Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified American officials.
Netanyahu spokesman Mark Regev declined to comment on the story, which cited officials as saying they were “increasingly disturbed by what they saw as heavy-handed battlefield tactics that they believed risked a humanitarian catastrophe.”
In Washington, Marie Harf, a spokeswoman for the State Department, responded to questions about the newspaper report by saying the U.S. is taking “additional care” in handling arms shipments to Israel because of the Gaza conflict.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-14/gaza-truce-holds-as-u-s-acknowledges-slowdown-in-arms-to-israel.html