Jordan on Saturday condemned Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip and urged the international community to intercede to put an end to Palestinian-Israeli violence. At least 44 Palestinians and five Israelis have been killed in four days of violence. Israel has launched an open-ended offensive dubbed "Days of Penitence" aimed at stopping Palestinians firing rockets at Israeli towns close to the volatile Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip. On Saturday, Israeli troops killed seven Palestinian gunmen, including four who cut through Gaza's border fence, as the military expanded its offensive, one of the largest in four years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting. Jordanian government spokeswoman Asma Khader condemned the "massacres" carried out by Israeli forces in Gaza and called for an immediate end to the violence. Khader told the state-run Petra news agency that the offensive underlined Israeli policies to "carry out more killing and assassinations and destroying property of Palestinian citizens and the infrastructure of the Palestinian Authority." "Jordan condemns the ugly crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza," Khader said, adding that the fighting "will only lead to more violence and instability in the region." Khader called for international intervention to end the Israeli offensive and urged the so called Quartet, comprising the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia, to return the Israelis and Palestinians to the road map plan for Middle East peace. The internationally-backed road map envisions an end to Palestinian-Israeli violence and the creation of an independent Palestinian state by next year. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers, backed by tanks and helicopters, have been targeting Gaza's Jebaliya refugee camp, the Palestinians' largest and most densely populated.
