9 months ago
President Joe Biden remains keen on a two-state solution as a resolution to the Israel-Hamas war, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday.
“The only long-term answer to peace in the region, to Israel's security in the region, is a two-state solution, with Israel's security guaranteed. A Palestinian state that also has security guarantees for Israel. That’s what we’re going to keep working for,” Sullivan told host George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week.”
On Oct. 7, about 1,200 Israelis were killed in Hamas’ initial attack, with more than 200 Israelis taken hostage (more than 100 are still being held). Over 27,000 Palestinians have been killed as the conflict that began after that incursion reaches its fourth month.
Sullivan appeared on multiple Sunday shows discussing, among other things, U.S. involvement in negotiations with Israel.
“The president has put his shoulder to the wheel on this. He has spoken to the leaders in both Qatar and Egypt, two countries that are centrally involved in trying to broker this deal. We are in constant contact with our Israeli counterparts on it,” Sullivan said.
“The goal is, in fact, to get a hostage deal in place as soon as possible. Ultimately, that comes down to Hamas,” Sullivan said.
When asked by Stephanopoulos if a deal to release hostages is imminent, Sullivan said that he couldn’t say.
“I can’t say it’s imminent, but ultimately, these kinds of negotiations unfold somewhat slowly until they unfold very quickly. And so it’s difficult to put a precise timetable on when something might come together or, frankly, if something might come together. But sitting here today, I cannot tell you it’s right around the corner,” Sullivan said.
These negotiations have also coincided with a growing disdain from the public on Biden’s handling of the conflict. According to a recent AP-NORC poll, two-thirds of adults in the U.S. disapprove of Biden’s response to the Israel-Hamas war.
Sullivan defended the administration’s handling of the war in an interview with CBS' Margaret Brennan.
“We don't design our policy toward Israel, or Gaza or the Middle East based on politics. We do it based on the national security interests of the United States. And we've been clear from the beginning that we believe that Israel has a right to respond to the horrific attacks of Oct. 7,” Sullivan said on “Face the Nation.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is making another trip to the region this week to “continue working with our partners on how to achieve durable peace in the region, with lasting security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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