US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed Thursday she would attend an international conference next month in Egypt to help rebuild Gaza Strip after the Hamas-Israel war. "I will go to Cairo next week to a conference sponsored by the Egyptians to try to get humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza," Clinton told the news media during a visit to Indonesia.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit has recently said that Clinton would attend the March 2 conference. More than 70 countries are expected at the meeting, according to the Egyptian foreign ministry.
Clinton said she and President Barack Obama wanted to re-engage in the Middle East after Washington under former president George W. Bush had "not been as active in trying to bring the parties together." According to AFP, she said the new administration would work hard to "support the Palestinian authorities so that they can help their people."
The United States remained committed to a "two-state solution so that Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace side by side," she said.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army on Thursday morning hit a Palestinian fighter attempting to plant a bomb on the Israel-Gaza border, lightly wounding him. The Palestinian, who was hurt near the Keren Shalom border crossing, was later taken to a hospital in Israel for treatment.
According to Haaretz, this incident occurred shortly after Palestinian gunners fired two Qassam rockets into southern Israel. The rocket attack caused neither casualties nor damage.
