EU slams Israel over Gaza massacre

EU has condemned Israel's disproportionate use of force in the Gaza Strip, urging restraint by all parties in the escalating violence.

The European Union has criticized what it called "disproportionate use of force'' by the Israeli military in Gaza after nearly 100 Palestinians were killed in just four days.

In a statement, the EU urged Israel to halt activities that endanger civilians saying they were "contrary to international law".

It also called for an immediate end to Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli territory and insisted that the peace process should not be interrupted.

"The (EU) presidency condemns the recent disproportionate use of force by the Israeli forces against (the) Palestinian population in Gaza and urges Israel to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from all activities that endanger civilians. Such activities are contrary to international law," said the statement.

The condemnation came a day after Israeli forces killed 64 people including children and other civilians, in a land and air blitz in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, in a statement the UN Security Council similarly condemned the Zionist regime for the killings and urged it to halt its attacks against Palestinians.

But Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert said the Zionist regime had no intention of stopping its assault on Gaza and rejected criticism that it was using excessive force in the Hamas-run strip.

MSH/BGH

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=45546&sectionid=351020605