2-state solution remains key to ending Israel-Hamas war, Sullivan says
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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.
āThe 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. Thatās what weāre going to keep working for,ā Sullivan told host George Stephanopoulos on ABCās āThis Week.ā
On Oct. 7, about 1,200 Israelis were killed in Hamasā 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.
āThe 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,ā Sullivan said.
āThe goal is, in fact, to get a hostage deal in place as soon as possible. Ultimately, that comes down to Hamas,ā Sullivan said.
When asked by Stephanopoulos if a deal to release hostages is imminent, Sullivan said that he couldnāt say.
āI canāt say itās imminent, but ultimately, these kinds of negotiations unfold somewhat slowly until they unfold very quickly. And so itās 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 itās right around the corner,ā Sullivan said.
These negotiations have also coincided with a growing disdain from the public on Bidenās handling of the conflict. According to a recent AP-NORC poll, two-thirds of adults in the U.S. disapprove of Bidenās response to the Israel-Hamas war.
Sullivan defended the administrationās handling of the war in an interview with CBS' Margaret Brennan.
āWe 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,ā Sullivan said on āFace the Nation.ā
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is making another trip to the region this week to ācontinue working with our partners on how to achieve durable peace in the region, with lasting security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.ā he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.