Obama Defends Israel's Right To Defend Itself

As violence in the Gaza Strip continues, President Obama remarks on the Israeli-Hamas conflict while in Thailand. He said, "[T]here is no country on earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders. So we are fully supportive of Israel's right to defend itself from missiles landing on people's homes."

Noting that Israel increased its response after what the NY Times described as "persistent Palestinian rocket fire," Obama said, "Let's understand what the precipitating event here was that's causing the current crisis, and that was an ever-escalating number of missiles that were landing not just in Israeli territory but in areas that are populated."

The death toll in Gaza is now at 67, according to BBC, and Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system has reportedly intercepted missiles aimed at Tel Aviv.

The AP reports, "An Israeli envoy held talks with Egyptian officials Sunday on a ceasefire":

    Egypt has been leading international efforts to broker a truce since Israel launched its offensive five days earlier aimed at stopping Gaza rocket attacks. But Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers remain far apart on any terms. Read more...