US voices "strong" support for Israel

The United States on Friday voiced its strong support for Israel even though it abstained a United Nations Security Council resolution that condemned recent military actions in Gaza by the Jewish state.

"I don't want to disappoint anybody, but I think it is clear that US support for Israel is going to stay strong. We have always supported Israel strongly," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said at a news briefing on Friday.

"That does not mean we support everything that Israel does or every policy that Israel undertakes," he added.

"We have been very concerned about the humanitarian effects of the Israeli operation. In fact, our ambassador has been working with people on the ground to try to ensure access for water, for humanitarian supplies and for the needs of the people in that area," Boucher said.

The United States has been working with other governments to try to get "a more stable security situation there and take care of the security problems," Boucher said.

"So in this case, like in others, we call them the way we see them. But that does not diminish our overall support for the state of Israel," Boucher said.

The White House has rebuked Israel, a key US ally in the Middle East, over its military actions in the Gaza Strip that killed more than 30 Palestinians in the past three days. Israel has faced worldwide condemnation over its Operation Rainbow, the largest incursion into the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian uprising began nearly four years ago.

Source: Xinhua