Israel attempts to stabilise Gaza ceasefire

In the UK and international press today, several papers note that the UN aid agency in Gaza has run out of food supplies, as border crossings between Israel and Gaza remain close after a number of attempted border attacks and rocket firings took place within the last week. The Daily Telegraph reports that senior international foreign ministry officials are meeting today to plan a series of steps to take against Iran's nuclear programme ahead of a report set to be released today that will criticise Tehran's lack of cooperation on the issue. The Guardian runs an interview with Quartet Middle East Envoy Tony Blair and his expectations of US President-elect Barack Obama regarding Middle Eastern policies.

In the Israeli press, the papers note that President Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni held yesterday an unexpected, private meeting with US President George W. Bush on the sidelines of a UN interfaith conference. Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post report that Israel is insisting on keeping the ceasefire with Hamas in tact despite an escalation in tensions along the Gaza border. The Jerusalem Post carries an interview with head of the Israeli Defence Ministry's Diplomatic-Security Bureau Maj.-Gen. Amos Gilad, who stressed that Israel would not tolerate a nuclear Iran and currently backed diplomatic and economic efforts to halt progress of Tehran's nuclear programme. In other news, Haaretz notes that it obtained a letter that was dictated by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in 2006 and forwarded to President George W. Bush, calling for the opening of dialogue and an acceptance of a Palestinian state within the 1967 border and a long-term truce with Israel.

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