WASHINGTON, D.C. Vice President JD Vance is in Israel to make sure the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is still in place following the weekend’s strikes. We spoke with the State Department about the peace deal and how they’re securing this ceasefire agreement.
Just a little more than a week ago, President Donald Trump visited Israel and Egypt, sealing the deal on the initial steps of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. However, the agreement’s fragility was tested over the weekend after the Israeli military claims two Israeli soldiers were killed when militants launched an attack on an army vehicle. Hamas officials quickly disavowed the attack, but Israel issued a strike in retaliation.
“It’s not easy, I never said it was easy, but what I am is optimistic that the ceasefire is going to hold and that we can actually build a better future in the entire Middle East,” said VP Vance.
During his trip to the region, VP Vance acknowledges the difficulties of maintaining the agreement but believes it will last.
“Now again, that’s going to take a little bit of time,” said VP Vance. “We’re talking about how to set up the security and humanitarian apparatus to put all this in place, but right now where I stand, I feel confident that we’re going to be in a place where this peace lasts, where it’s durable, and if Hamas doesn’t cooperate, then as the President of the United States has said, Hamas is going to be obliterated.”
We asked Tommy Pigott, a deputy principle spokesperson for the State Department, what kind of guarantees this ceasefire has in order for it be fully implemented?
“Ultimately what we’re seeing again is to faithfully implement this,” said Pigott. “I’m not going to get into details about sensitive diplomatic conversations but we’re seeing efforts across the administration as what Jared Kushner and Steve Wikoff spoke to recently about implementing this plan. For example, if there are miscommunications, efforts to solve that miscommunication to make sure the people are speaking honestly and there’s truthfulness out there and ultimately we are seeing this engagement here from the United States but all of our partners to make sure we are having that long term peace and prosperity, trying to get that plan to reach that long-term peace and prosperity.”
