Obama condemns bombing, rocket attacks

US President Barack Obama condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the bombing in Jerusalem and the rockets fired towards Israel from the Gaza Strips over the past few days. "The United States calls on the groups responsible to end these attacks at once and we underscore that Israel, like all nations, has a right to self-defense," he said in a statement.

Obama offered his condolences for those injured or killed in the attacks, but also addressed Tuesday's Palestinian casualties in Gaza. "We also express our deepest condolences for the deaths of Palestinian civilians in Gaza yesterday," he said. "We stress the importance of calm and urge all parties to do everything in their power to prevent further violence and civilian casualties." (Ynet)