US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated that disagreements over the release of Palestinian security prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza have been the primary obstacles in the hostage negotiations over recent months. He also noted that the resolution of these issues has brought both sides to the verge of a potential agreement.
Sullivan remarked during a press briefing ahead of President Joe Biden’s speech that the key disagreements have been narrowed, specifically concerning “the formulas over prisoner exchanges, the formulas over the details of how Israel’s forces will be postured in their pullback from the Gaza Strip, the details over how to conduct the humanitarian surge in the wake of the guns going silent — these things now on paper.”
He added that Biden will have a conversation later today with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi after speaking with the leaders of Qatar and Israel the previous day. This level of high-level engagement signals that the talks are nearing a conclusion.
“We are close to a deal, and it can get done this week,” Sullivan confirmed, but added cautiously, “I cannot predict that it will… and if in five days it hasn’t happened, I will be the person who is probably least shocked by that.”
When asked whether all seven Americans still held hostage in Gaza would be released in the first phase of the agreement, Sullivan declined to provide a direct answer. However, he emphasized that the release of all US citizens remains a priority for both the outgoing and incoming US administrations.
Sullivan proudly reflected on the administration’s Middle East policy over the past four years, stating, “We’ve stood in defense of our friends, and we’ve stood up to our enemies.”
“We built and acted alongside an unprecedented coalition to directly defend Israel in the face of Iranian aggression,” Sullivan continued. “Iran is now at its weakest point since 1979.”
He also highlighted significant regional shifts, including the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
“There’s a huge opportunity for Lebanon to turn this ceasefire and the degradation of Hezbollah, into a new chapter that is brighter and built not on terrorism but on the future,” Sullivan concluded.
{Matzav.com}