Sullivan meets with Netanyahu in Jerusalem

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday amid a last-ditch effort by the Biden administration to forge a hostages-for-ceasefire-and-terrorists deal between Jerusalem and Hamas.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is set to assume office on Jan. 20.

According to Netanyahu’s office, Thursday’s meeting also focused on “regional developments, with an emphasis on the events in Syria.”

Netanyahu told Sullivan that Israel “will do whatever is necessary to protect its security from any threat, and therefore ordered the IDF to temporarily take control of the buffer zone in Syria until an effective force is established to enforce the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement,” according to the PMO readout of the meeting.

Netanyahu said he stressed the need to prevent terrorism from Syrian territory against Israel, as well as to protect minorities in the country.

The Israeli side was represented in the meeting by Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Mossad Director David Barnea and Shin Bet director Ronen Bar.

IDF Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, the government’s point man on missing and kidnapped citizens, also participated.

In addition to Sullivan, the Biden administration was represented by U.S. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk and Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew.

The U.S. national security advisor in set to also visit Egypt and Qatar, which have mediated the hostage talks in conjunction with Washington.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Hamas has agreed to two of Israel’s key conditions for a ceasefire in Gaza, raising hopes for a deal within days.

Hamas for the first time agreed to accept the presence of Israeli forces in Gaza during a 60-day truce, the newspaper quoted unnamed Arab mediators as saying. The sources also confirmed to the paper reports from earlier in the week that Hamas had submitted a list of hostages, including U.S. citizens, whom it would release.

The purported breakthrough follows a threat on Dec. 3 by Trump that there would be “hell to pay” unless the hostages are freed before his inauguration.