Israel seeks international backing for Gaza campaign

By Adam Entous

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel took nearly 70 foreign ambassadors to its border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday as part of a diplomatic campaign to enlist international support for tougher action against the enclave's Hamas Islamist rulers.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told the envoys at the Erez crossing with Gaza that cross-border rocket fire by militants had created an "unbearable" situation that would only get worse. "Israel must act in order to reduce these threats," she said.

But a large-scale military offensive in densely populated Gaza, where an Israeli blockade has already fuelled fears of a humanitarian crisis, could prove a tough sell for Israel.

Ramiro Cibrian-Uzal, the European Union ambassador to Israel, condemned the rocket fire and called for it to stop immediately and unconditionally. Shortly after diplomats left the much-bombarded town of Sderot, a rocket hit a house there.

But the EU envoy told Reuters after the tour: "The European Union does not consider a large military operation in Gaza to be a good idea and we do not believe it will bring a permanent solution to the problems Israel is confronted with."

Only last month, Israel backed down after fuel cuts to Gaza's main power station led to blackouts, sparking an international uproar.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has so far been wary of launching a major ground operation, which could cause heavy casualties, arguing there were no "overnight solutions" to daily rocket fire from Gaza that has inflamed Israeli public opinion.

But he faces growing domestic pressure after Hamas claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in southern Israel last week and an 8-year-old Israeli boy lost part of his leg to a rocket strike in Sderot on Saturday. Olmert, who visited Germany to seek support over Gaza, says Israel is at "war".