LA Mayor, City Officials Voice 'Solidarity' With Israel In Wake Of Gaza Fight
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Mayor Eric Garcetti and other city officials Tuesday joined the consul general of Israel in Los Angeles to express the support for Israel's right to defend itself against Islamic terror group Hamas in the wake of a shaky truce in Gaza.
Garcetti was joined by City Attorney Mike Feuer and Controller Ron Galperin and other officials for a moment of silence at City Hall in honor of those who lost their lives since the start of Operation Protective Edge in early July.
A three-day cease-fire took effect early Tuesday as both sides halted cross-border attacks and Israel withdrew the last of its ground forces from Gaza, according to The Associated Press.
Garcetti said it was his shared hope with other officials to secure a lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.
"Israel is by far our strongest ally in a tumultous region, one that we stand by for its right and indeed its obligation to protect its citizens," he said. "We must also pause..and say the loss of civilian life is heartbreaking to all of us."
Israeli Consul General David Seigel was also on hand to defend his country's actions in the Gaza Strip following the launch of over 4,000 rockets fired at Israel since mid-June.
"That is as much as London received from Nazi Germany in World War Two," he said, adding the Hamas assault was "randomly terrorizing a population of over 8 million people, as it's been said, Jews, Christians and Muslims."
In the coming days, Egyptian mediators plan to shuttle between Israeli and Palestinian delegations who are in Cairo for talks aimed at a long-term truce in Gaza, The Associated Press reported.
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