BREAKING: Gaza truce finalized... Clinton/Morsi deal bring NEW HOPE!

Gaza truce could pave way for new US peace push

By Jo Biddle and Tangi Quemener (AFP) – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON — The US success in helping to broker a Gaza ceasefire shows it cannot turn its back on the Middle East and should perhaps seize the moment to try to rekindle peace talks, experts said.

With Egypt's new Islamist President Mohamed Morsi emerging strengthened from his first big test, having shown he can act as a broker between Israel and the Palestinians, the time could be right for a new American push, they said.

After a day of shuttle diplomacy, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, standing side-by-side with Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr, announced the deal, acknowledging "this is a critical moment for the region."

The deal set out a ceasefire between Hamas militants and Israel after a week of cross-border violence between Israel and Palestinian militants that killed at least 160 people in the Gaza Strip.

Under its terms, and providing the ceasefire holds, the two sides will also start to discuss opening up Gaza's borders to people and goods within the next 24 hours -- a move which could bring some relief to the impoverished, and heavily-populated Palestinian territory after a six-year blockade.

But Clinton herself said there now had to be a "focus on reaching a durable outcome that promotes regional stability and advances the security, dignity, and legitimate aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis alike."

She was dispatched to the region by President Barack Obama off the back of an important trip to Asia -- a region which the US administration said will be the new pivot of its foreign policy in the coming years.

[link to www.google.com]