French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier expressed concern Saturday about the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip and appealed to both Israel and the Palestinians to end the violence.
"There is no solution for the Palestinians and Israelis in this spiral of violence and blood," Barnier said after meeting his Italian, Spanish and Portuguese counterparts in Rome.
"They must end the violence and find the way back to the negotiating table," he added.
Israeli troops have killed 54 Palestinians since Tuesday night when more than 100 Israeli tanks, backed by aircraft, moved into the northern Gaza Strip in the operation called "Days of Penitence" to root out militants firing homemade rockets into Israeli territory.
The Palestinian cabinet declared a state of emergency in the Palestinian territories on Saturday as Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat appealed for the international community to step up pressure on Israel to end the "criminal and racist" military campaign.
Barnier called for the quartet of the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia that drafted the Middle East roadmap to step up their activities in the hope of relaunching the peace process.
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