Jacob Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor, Arrives in Israel for Talks on Gaza Conflict
On Thursday, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan arrived in Israel to engage in discussions regarding the conflict in Gaza, as Israeli media discloses a detailed timeline of the war that Tel Aviv intends to present to the American official. Israeli military radio reported Sullivan’s arrival in Tel Aviv without providing further details.
Israel’s Channel 12 revealed today that during his visit, Israel plans to present Sullivan with a timeline for the war in Gaza. According to the Israeli timeline, Israel anticipates concluding the intense combat phase by the end of January next year. Initially, American officials aimed to finalize matters by Christmas, or early January 2024, but Israel now sees this as unfeasible given the current situation.
Following the combat phase, Israel will reportedly need a few additional weeks to complete the withdrawal of troops from the heart of Gaza and redeploy them along defense lines, some of which are inside and some outside of the Gaza Strip.
Channel 12’s report suggests Israeli assessments indicate that the mission to eliminate Hamas’ capabilities will extend throughout 2024, involving operations and raids by the Israeli military to destroy the group’s military strength. It emphasized that maintaining security control over Gaza in the foreseeable future is pivotal to Israel.
In addition to the war’s timeline, Sullivan, according to Channel 12, will discuss the future of Gaza post-conflict, the role of the Palestinian Authority, the transfer of tax revenues to the Authority, and the entry of Palestinian workers from the West Bank into Israel. Since October 7 last year, when Hamas launched ‘Operation Al Aqsa Flood’ against Israeli settlements and military bases in Gaza’s vicinity in response to daily Israeli aggressions against Palestinians and their holy sites, Israel has restricted laborers from the West Bank from entering for work.
Reuters cited U.S. officials stating that Sullivan, on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia, discussed intensifying diplomatic efforts to maintain stability in the region and prevent the escalation of the conflict between Hamas and Israel. The discussions also covered increasing the flow of essential aid to Gaza and ongoing efforts to create new conditions for a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Since October 7, 2022, the Israeli military has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, which has resulted in 18,608 casualties and 50,594 injuries as of Wednesday, mostly children and women. The conflict has caused immense destruction to the infrastructure and an unprecedented humanitarian disaster, according to Palestinian and international sources.
