In brief remarks to the media ahead of talks with Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Vance said he was optimistic about the Gaza deal brokered by Trump.
"It’s not easy. I never said it was easy. But what I am is optimistic that the ceasefire is going to hold and that we can actually build a better future in the entire Middle East. But that requires some work," said Vance as Netanyahu stood beside him.
BREAKING: US vice president JD Vance tells reporters he is "optimistic" that ceasefire will hold and that "building better future" is possible in the entire Middle Eastahttps://t.co/UEjiRH4fUY
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Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday to join Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, to press Netanyahu to stick to the Gaza deal. Even though Trump has publicly projected unity with Israel, there are concerns behind the curtains that Netanyahu could abandon the deal to resume the war in Gaza.
Not here to babysit Gaza ceasefire, says Vance
In an apparent attempt to downplay the flurry of top-level visits to Israel, Vance rejected that he had arrived to babysit the deal in Gaza.
While the ceasefire in Gaza required monitoring, it was not like how you would monitor a toddler, said Vance.
“It’s about monitoring in the sense that there’s a lot of work, a lot of good people who are doing that work, and it’s important for the principals in the administration to keep on ensuring that our people are doing what we need them to do,” said Vance.
Despite such an attempt, high-level visits to rein in Netanyahu has continued. After Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive in Israel on Thursday to join discussions about keeping the Gaza deal alive.
Despite the public display of unity with Israel, the White House is concerned that Netanyahu may abandon the Gaza deal, according to The New York Times.
Since last week, Israel and Hamas have clashed several times. Israel has said that two soldiers were killed in terrorist attacks and Gaza's Hamas-run authorities have said that around 100 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks. There are fears that Netanyahu could use such clashes as a pretext to resume the war.
The Times has reported that the current strategy is for Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner to dissuade Netanyahu from launching a full-scale assault against Hamas.
Separately, a White House official told The Times that Trump believes that Hamas leaders are negotiating in good faith and that the recent attack on Israeli soldiers —apparently the attack in which Israel said two soldiers were killed— was carried out by a fringe element within the group.
In line with this assessment, Trump has downplayed Israel’s recent accusations against Hamas. On Monday, he described the fighting in Gaza as a “rebellion” within Hamas that was not approved by its leadership. He said some Hamas personnel “got very rambunctious”, but also warned that he would allow Israel to “eradicate” the terrorist group if it broke the deal.
