Worldwide alarm at Israeli ground offensive

Protesters opposed to Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip clash with police near the Israeli Embassy in London on Saturday. Israeli artillery Sunday bombarded Gaza in a dramatic escalation of the campaign against Hamas after a week of air attacks, which have left more than 485 Palestinians dead.Photo: AFP

Israel's tank and troop assault on the Gaza Strip unleashed cries of alarm worldwide Sunday, but Israel won heavyweight US backing as moves for an immediate ceasefire foundered at the United Nations.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown echoed grave European concerns when he said the ground offensive was a "very dangerous moment" in the conflict, and he called for increased efforts to rapidly secure a ceasefire.
The offensive was condemned across the Middle East, with Egypt saying the UN Security Council's silence on Israel's eight-day campaign of air strikes had effectively given Israel "a green light" for the ground assault.
Asian nations expressed alarm, too, with Pakistan and China calling for an immediate end to the assault and Muslims in Indonesia urging war against the Jewish state.
But in New York, the Security Council failed to agree on a statement calling for a ceasefire after the United States argued that a return to the situation that existed before Israel's ground invasion was unacceptable.
US deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff said after the four-hour sitting that Washington believed it was important that the region "not return to the status quo" that had allowed Hamas militants to fire rockets into Israel.
"The efforts we are making internationally are designed to establish a sustainable, durable ceasefire that's respected by all," Wolff said. "And that means no more rocket attacks. It means no more smuggling of arms."
As thousands of Israeli soldiers and scores of tanks pushed into Gaza Sunday, the British premier said assurances needed to be given to both the Israelis and Hamas to secure a ceasefire.
"I think everybody around the world is expressing grave concerns. What we've got to do almost immediately is to work harder than we've done for an immediate ceasefire," Brown said on BBC television.
"I can see the Gaza issues for the Palestinians -- that they need humanitarian aid -- but the Israelis must have some assurance that there are no rocket attacks coming into Israel," he said.
"So first we need an immediate ceasefire, and that includes a stopping of the rockets into Israel."