Egypt blasts quartet for not criticizing Israel

Egypt on Thursday blasted a prominent group of Middle East peacemakers for blaming the Palestinians for the recent upsurge in fighting and for sparing Israel any criticism. The Quartet of Middle East peacemakers, which includes Russia, the US, the UN and the EU, urged Wednesday to end fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, calling on the PA government to "do everything necessary to restore law and order." The group, which met in Berlin, also urged "all Palestinians to immediately renounce all acts of violence and respect the cease-fire." Alaa el-Hadidy, a spokesman for Egypt's foreign ministry, described the Quartet's statement Thursday as "unbalanced."