US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan held a press briefing in Tel Aviv on Friday morning, in which he stressed: "There is no contradiction between Defense Minister Galant's statement that the fighting will continue for months, and the fact that there will be different stages of fighting throughout these months. We talked about when to move from one stage to another. Neither Netanyahu nor Galant made me feel that I had to answer the question: What would happen if the current operation continued beyond a certain time? We had a good discussion about how the transition would be, under what conditions and at what intervals. I won't go into details because it will help Hamas."
Sullivan added: "Hamas should not be a threat to Israel, yet civilians in Gaza should be protected. We'll see how things develop and we'll make decisions accordingly." Regarding the rule of Gaza after the end of the war, he said: "We see a connection between Judea and Samaria and Gaza, but the Palestinian Authority needs to be renewed. This will require a great deal of work, starting with President Mahmoud Abbas. And it depends on the Palestinian people. We will support the process. The Israeli government has made it clear that it has no long-term plan to control Gaza, the intention is to transfer control to the Palestinians. We are holding discussions about how the transition will take place. The U.S. position is that it is not right for Israel to retake Gaza."
Meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Jake Sullivan, Photo: Amos Ben-Gershom / GPO
The national security adviser reported that he had held a "very lengthy meeting" with the Mossad chief regarding the abductees. "We discussed the possibilities in great detail. Hamas is still holding more than 100 abductees in harsh conditions underground," he said, stressing: "The head of the Mossad is working tirelessly and inspiringly, under the guidance of the government, on the issue."
He also addressed the threat posed by the Houthis in Yemen: "They are a threat to international freedom of navigation. The U.S. is working with partners to build a coalition to ensure freedom of navigation. This is not a problem for Israel but for the international community. This is a threat to international security. Secretary of Defense Austin will be in the region in the coming days, including in Bahrain, to address this issue."
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