JERUSALEM
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan left Israel “disappointed” after his talks with Israeli officials on the conflict in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media on Tuesday.
“Sullivan realizes that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has no strategy to end the war on Gaza,” Israeli public broadcaster KAN said, citing an Israeli official.
The US adviser arrived in Israel on Sunday as part of a regional tour that also included Saudi Arabia. He held talks with top Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz.
Sullivan “put a host of issues for discussion, including the Rafah offensive, a hostage deal and normalization with Saudi Arabia,” KAN said.
“The big question that worries the US administration is the ‘day after’ in Gaza, and whether Israel has a strategy to end the war,” it added.
The normalization of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia was among issues discussed by the US adviser during his visit to Israel, KAN said.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Sullivan made significant progress toward a major bilateral security agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia during his weekend visit.
He, however, acknowledged that the same can’t be said for the Palestinian issue.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.
More than 35,600 Palestinians have been killed, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and nearly 79,900 others injured since last October following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.
More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered it to ensure that its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
