White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said today that he believes a ceasefire deal and the release of the hostages “may be close” as Israel says it is “ready” and “we’ve seen moves from .”
After his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sullivan said, “It may not happen, but I think it can happen, with political will on both sides.”
He said he plans to travel to Qatar and Egypt, the other mediating countries, to boost negotiating efforts for the return of hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Commenting on the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Sullivan said that now Israel “is stronger”, Iran “weaker” and Tehran’s loyalists “decimated”.
“We will make sure that Hamas can never again threaten Israel as it did on October 7 (2023), ever. The balance of power in the Middle East has changed significantly (…) Israel is stronger, Iran weaker,” he said at a press conference held at the US embassy in Jerusalem.
Sullivan denied that he is waiting for US President-elect Donald Trump to take office on January 20 in order to accept a deal. “No, I don’t have that feeling. I get the feeling from the Prime Minister that he is ready for a deal. My goal is to get us in a position where we can close this deal this month,” he stressed. “I can’t make promises or make predictions but I wouldn’t be here today if I believed this thing, that they’re just waiting (for an agreement) after January 20,” he added.
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