By David Gollust State Deparment 31 December 2008

By David Gollust
State Deparment
31 December 2008

Smoke rises from explosion on house hit by Israeli missile in the Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 31 Dec 2008

TheUnited States is continuing diplomatic contacts for a Gaza cease-firedespite Israel's rejection of a French-proposed 48-hour truce.President Bush spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who issaid to have given an assurance Israel is trying to minimize civiliancasualties in its air campaign against Hamas.

Officials heresay the U.S. push for a durable and sustained Gaza cease-fire iscontinuing undaunted, despite the failure of the French bid to arrangea 48-hour truce for humanitarian relief efforts in the coastal strip.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is taking the lead role in U.S. telephone diplomacy.

Aspokesman said she had spoken three times in the last 24 hours withboth Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah al-Bashir and Foreign MinisterSheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed al-Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, a Gulfstate having close contacts with Iran - a key sponsor of Hamas.

MeanwhilePresident Bush, spending the year-end holidays in Texas, telephonedIsraeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to, among other things, voiceconcern about humanitarian conditions in Gaza. White House spokesmanGordon Johndroe said Mr. Olmert gave a renewed assurance Israel istargeting only Hamas and those affiliated with it.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe (file photo) "PrimeMinister Olmert assured President Bush that Israel is takingappropriate steps to avoid civilian casualties," said Johndroe. "Thatwas something the president asked for an update on, and President Bushgot an assurance from Prime Minister Olmert that Israel is, as theyhave said they are doing, only targeting Hamas and that terroristorganization and people involved with Hamas, and that they are workingto minimize any civilian casualties."

Johndroe said U.S. effortsare aimed at durable and lasting cease-fire in Gaza that is respectedby Hamas - unlike the previous six-month truce that lapsed earlier thismonth and which he said the militant Islamic group had regularlyviolated with rocket fire into Israel.

He all those concernedwant an end to the violence as soon as possible, but that the UnitedStates does not want to see it start up again in days and weeks withrenewed rocket attacks.

The United States had avoided callingfor an immediate cease-fire until Tuesday when it joined Russia, theEuropean Union and the United Nations - its partners in theinternational Quartet on the Middle East - in a statement backing animmediate truce that is "fully respected" by both sides.

In a talk with reporters here, State Department Acting Spokesman Gordon Duguid said the Quartet's wording is critical.

"Thatformulation is what the Quartet has agreed upon," said Duguid. "Youcan't take and divide that sentence. They call for an immediatecease-fire that would be fully respected. We believe both sides shouldreach a cease-fire as quickly as possible but that cease-fire can't beone that is called immediate and then is immediately violated withrocket attacks by Hamas."

The State Department Wednesday reneweda call on U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to the Gaza strip and urgedthose already there to depart immediately.

U.S. diplomats andofficials working in Israel have been told to avoid travel within a30-kilometer radius of Gaza. Private Americans are being advised tokeep even farther away from the conflict area, given the firing inrecent days of longer-range rockets from Gaza.