JD and Usha Vance were welcomed with a brunch with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara. This was followed by a brief private meeting, after which Vance, in front of a press gathering, admitted that much remains to be done to fulfill the US-mediated ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
We have a very, very tough task ahead of us, which is to disarm Hamas and rebuild Gaza. To make life better for the people of Gaza but at the same time ensure that Hamas no longer poses a threat to our friends in Israel, he said according to AFP.
Opened central
The meeting between Vance and Netanyahu was followed by an "expanded" meeting on the ceasefire in Gaza with several employees, according to Israeli media. Then the Vice President also met with Israel's President Isaac Herzog.
We are here to talk about how we ensure that the peace agreement that began about a week ago stands, and that we can successfully move to phase two and three, said Vance after the Herzog meeting.
Wednesday's meetings take place after Vance on Tuesday inaugurated the US so-called "civil-military coordination center" in southwestern Israel, CMCC, which will monitor the ceasefire in Gaza. Also present were the Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is now reported to have left Israel.
Rubio on the way
Kushner and Witkoff are replaced, according to The Times of Israel's sources, by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is expected to arrive in Israel tomorrow for a two-day visit.
The American visits are seen as an attempt to get the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to hold, after reports of growing American concern that Netanyahu will shoot down the agreement.
In response to a question about why so many American tops are visiting Israel, Vance answers on Wednesday that it is "important for the government to ensure that our people continue to do what they need to do".
