Sarkozy tells Abbas he wants end to Gaza violence
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Nicolas Sarkozy promised Mahmoud Abbas that he would tell Israel to stop the violence in Gaza.
The French president, on a peace mission to the Middle East, met with the Palestinian Authority president Monday afternoon in Ramallah, where he spoke with reporters.
"We, Europe, want a cease-fire as soon as possible," Sarkozy said. "Time is working against peace. The weapons must be silenced and there must be a temporary humanitarian truce."
Sarkozy blamed Hamas for the Palestinians’ suffering.
He and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, meeting earlier in Sharm el-Sheikh, discussed ways to achieve a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel.
Sarkozy was scheduled to meet with Israeli leaders late Monday.
