Photo: Alamy
This week, Vice President J.D. Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance made a critical visit to Israel, where the Second Executive announced the opening of a civilian-military cooperation center, or CMCC, and gave details about the ongoing peace process in the Middle East.
Since President Donald Trump negotiated a historic peace deal aimed at bringing an end to the conflict in Gaza, the world has watched closely as the region has waffled, at times, on its ability to stop fighting due to deeply rooted cultural hostilities and Hamas terrorist violence.
Vice President Vance, along with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner (President Trump’s son-in-law), and Admiral Brad Cooper (U.S. CENTCOM), delivered remarks to the press on Tuesday that gave robust insight into the gritty realities of ironing out the wrinkles in this ceasefire.
Vice President Vance confirmed that the administration aims to help coordinate reconstruction efforts in Gaza, deliver aid to innocent civilians who have been caught in the crossfire, and ensure that, when conflicts arise on the ground, U.S. leadership is present to assist in resolving them.
“We are doing an amazing thing here, and I’m particularly proud of the American troops working at the Command Center,” the vice president stated.
According to CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, there are currently 200 American troops on-site in Israel overseeing cooperation measures.
“Consistent with our Commander-in-Chief’s direction, this facility will be THE hub for the delivery of everything that goes into Gaza,” Cooper said.
According to Vice President Vance, the ultimate goal is to deploy security forces on the ground in Gaza – forces who must be capable of keeping the peace. These forces will not be American troops.
Special Envoy Witkoff noted that the peace process was progressing more quickly than he had initially anticipated. “I think we are exceeding where we thought we would be at this time,” he said.
Jared Kushner also spoke, noting the two expected phases of the agreement: ensuring the return of all hostages, living and deceased, and ensuring that aid and reconstruction begin in Gaza.
Kushner, who served as a White House advisor during President Donald Trump’s first term in office, said there has been “surprisingly strong coordination between the United Nations and Israel” as both entities work to ensure that aid reaches the right people in Gaza.
“With the pace of work and the commitment of everybody, I think you’ll see, in a week, even more progress,” he said.
Kushner further noted that there was some hysteria in the media “about different incursions one way or another,” but emphasized that things were moving along at an expected pace.
He said that both Israel and the Gaza Strip were transitioning out of two years of brutal war and into a sudden position of “peacetime posture.”
Vice President Vance later reiterated this reality when he noted that, amid the ceasefire, there would be “hills and valleys,” but “given that and given the history of conflict, I think that everybody should be proud of where we are today.”
Vance also told the media, amid these conflicts and incursions that arise, Admiral Cooper’s task on the ground is to mediate these disputes. “You do difficult things by TRYING,” Vance said, when asked if the Gaza peace deal was positioned for long-term success.
Finally, there are at least 15 deceased hostages who are still in Gaza and have not yet been returned by Hamas. Vance explained that some of these hostages are “buried under thousands of pounds of rubble” or their locations are unknown.
“It’s just a reason to counsel in favor of a little bit of patience,” he said, when asked whether President Trump would place a hard-and-fast deadline on Hamas for returning these deceased individuals.
“I don’t think it’s actually advisable for us to say, ‘This has to be done in a week,’” Vance said.