John Kerry Pressures Qatar And Turkey To Gain Release Of Israeli Soldier From Hamas

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks on his phone while his plane refuels at Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein-Miesenbach August 1, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Lucas Jackson

Kerry Calls On Qatar And Turkey To Gain Release Of Israeli Soldier -- New York Times

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday urged Qatar and Turkey to use their influence to secure the release of an Israeli soldier who apparently was captured in Gaza shortly after an announced cease-fire went into effect.

“Hamas, which has security control over the Gaza Strip, must immediately and unconditionally release the missing Israeli soldier, and I call on those with influence over Hamas to reinforce this message,” Mr. Kerry said in a statement.

Mr. Kerry condemned the capture of the soldier and the killing of two other Israeli soldiers, calling it “an outrageous violation of the cease-fire negotiated over the past several days, and of the assurances given to the United States and the United Nations.”

Mr. Kerry urged all sides not to abandon their efforts to end the fighting.

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Update: Kerry seeks Qatari, Turkish help to find Israeli soldier -- Reuters

My Comment: John Kerry just does not get it .... or he is doing all of this just for show.  No one is listening to John Kerry now .... especially now. This is a war where both sides are gunning for each other and they want to inflict maximum pain .... peace is not on their minds. My prediction still holds .... I will give it another two weeks and 2,000 dead before they start to take his proposals seriously. As for the involvement of Qatar and Turkey .... they are terribly biased in this conflict, and they are not going to help Israel by finding and releasing this captured Israeli soldier from Hamas.

Update: There is some truth to this .... U.S. in race to divert Israel from all-out war on Hamas -- Haaretz