As Israel drives deeper into the Gaza Strip, French President Nicholas Sarkozy continues to attempt to negotiate ceasefire accords between Hamas and Israel.  With over 500 casualties, roughly half being Hamas fighters, the unease over civilian casualties has heightened the European Union's humanitarian efforts.  Sarkozy and other world leaders have expressed their concern with the deteriorating welfare of Palestinian civilians, yet have conceded Israel's right of retaliation:Hamas "bears a heavy responsibility" for the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip because it fired rockets into Israel, Sarkozy said in an interview with the Lebanese newspaper L'Orient-Le Jour. Sarkozy also "condemned" Israel's offensive in Gaza "because it makes the conveying of relief to the population more difficult," according to the interview, published today in the Beirut-based daily. Sarkozy will also visit Lebanon and Syria tomorrow. Nicholas Sarkozy's...(Read Full Post)