Vance: “Cautiously Hopeful” About “Very Complicated Negotiation” Between Israel And Arabs
Vice President J.D. Vance told “FOX News Sunday” that he’s cautiously optimistic about the latest round of negotitions between Israel and the Arabs:
MARTHA MACCALLUM, FOX NEWS: We will see where it goes. With regards to Gaza, it is looking like we have a deal that would end the war and bring the hostages back. Can you give us any details about that and when we might see that deal roll out? JD VANCE: There is a very complicated negotiation happening right now between Arab leaders, between the Israelis, and of course between the Trump administration, led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This conversation is happening as we speak. They have been ongoing over the course of the past couple of days. I will let those negotiations play out, but the president’s optimism is warranted here. I am more optimistic about where we are than where we have been at any point. But let’s be realistic-these things can go off the rails at the very last minute. So while I remain very hopeful, I am cautiously hopeful. I will let the diplomats continue to work on this, but our principle here is simple: we want all the hostages to come home. We want Hamas to no longer be a terror threat to the state of Israel. And we also want to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza for the many innocent people caught up in the conflict. So I think we are close to accomplishing all three objectives. MARTHA MACCALLUM: That is the resolution that everybody wants to see at this point. I thought it was interesting this week that President Trump said he would not allow Gaza to be controlled by Israel. JD VANCE: I think the president has been very clear. He wants Gaza to be controlled by the people who live there. He wants the West Bank to be controlled by the people who live there. And he wants the terrorist networks around the Israelis to be dismantled so they can no longer pose a threat to Israel, especially the innocent civilians who live in Israel. It’s never easy, as we’ve learned in the Middle East. This stuff comes in fits and starts and can take very weird turns. But I think the president has gotten us to a point where we are at the one-yard line, and all of us are very hopeful we can punch through to the end zone and accomplish a major, major thing for peace in the region.
