The US Vice President, JD Vance, met on Wednesday with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, during a visit to Israel, reported the Associated Press (AP).
The two officials discussed plans for postwar Gaza, including the establishment of an international security force in the Strip as part of the second phase of the 20-point peace plan for Gaza, proposed by the US President Donald Trump.
Challenges Ahead
In the light of this, Vance warned of challenges to achieving long-term peace in Gaza. “We have a very, very tough task ahead of us, which is to disarm Hamas but rebuild Gaza to make life better for the people in Gaza, but also to ensure that Hamas is no longer a threat to our friends in Israel. That’s not easy,” he said.
The US Vice President, however, kept an optimistic tone. “There’s a lot of work to do, but I feel very optimistic about where we are,” he added.
“We’re creating a peace plan and an infrastructure here where nothing existed even a week and a day ago. It’s going to require a lot of work,” Vance noted.
International Force
On Tuesday, Trump said that a number of Middle Eastern countries were ready to enter Gaza with a “heavy force” and straighten Hamas if the group continued to “act badly” in violation of the ceasefire deal.
“I told these countries, and Israel, “NOT YET!” There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
In this context, the US Vice President said on Tuesday that the international stabilization force was in the early planning stages, mentioning Türkiye and Indonesia as countries that could contribute troops.
However, Netanyahu, when asked on Wednesday about Türkiye, appeared to oppose the idea of Turkish troops joining the force in Gaza. “I have very strong opinions about that. Want to guess what they are?” he responded.
US Diplomatic Activity
Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday, joining the US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Moreover, the US State Secretary Marco Rubio is expected to visit Israel on Thursday and meet Netanyahu on Friday, according to the Israeli government.
The US representatives’ visits to Israel this week follow a flare-up of violence that put the ceasefire deal at risk, with Israel launching a wave of deadly airstrikes in Gaza and temporarily halting aid deliveries, after accusing Hamas of killing two Israeli soldiers in Rafah.
