Sullivan's West Bank Visit Aims to Put Pressure on Netanyahu - Expert

"I think Sullivan is going to represent the wing within [the] Biden Democratic administration that wants to put more pressure on [the] Netanyahu government in order to define its schedule of dealing with Gaza. [The] US wants to finish [the] Israeli ground destructive operations, and to tune to de-escalation or low profile war in the Gaza Strip. Because [the] international community is being astonished by the level and the scale of destruction, even in the in West Bank, not only in Gaza. So, US diplomacy is working in order to put more restrictions and constraints on the Netanyahu government, conveying a message to the Palestinian Authority and President Mahmoud Abbas that the US is really concerned about the situation in Gaza. They want to convey a message that US is in favor of supporting [the] two-state solution."

"The whole agenda is grounded. The overall objective is to deal with the current confrontation. Israel is losing the ground in Gaza. Israel is really not in control. On daily basis, they lose approximately 7 to 10 soldiers, many of them are colonels and high-ranked officers. So in my own view, [the] Biden administration is trying to balance now its previous strict pro-Israeli policy by showing more overstatements by [Jake] Sullivan. Even Kamala Harris and William Burns are representing a new political strategy, which indicates the willingness to put more pressure on Israel."

"I think this is a very good opportunity to reconciliate unsolved tensions between Fatah and Hamas.The current situation in Palestine is really critical. We need a breakthrough between both Fatah and Hamas. There are different statements coming from the leaders of both factions. I think they are more open now. It will be more serious in the question of reconciliation, in the question of including Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Palestine Liberation Organization, in the question of election to the Palestinian Legislative Council and presidential elections."