Vance Pushes Gaza Ceasefire, Visits Holy Sepulchre

Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to Israel this week to advance the Trump administration’s ceasefire and peace plan with Hamas, meeting Israeli officials and saying the U.S. has made “incredible progress” while warning full implementation will take “a very, very long time.” He outlined unresolved governance and security arrangements for Gaza, proposing a technocratic governing body under an international oversight board, a multinational force with no role for Hamas, and saying Hamas fighters would need to disarm though some could receive clemency. Vance said there would be no U.S. “boots on the ground,” criticized an Israeli parliamentary bill to annex Gaza as an “insult,” and described some parliamentary moves as provocation. As part of the three-day trip, Vance and his wife visited Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where he attended a private Mass, went to confession, knelt at the Stone of Anointing, lit candles, thanked the Greek, Armenian and Catholic clergy, and brought lights from the church back to the White House. The visit comes amid the slow return of some hostage remains and ongoing diplomatic work with Israeli and Gulf partners to sustain the truce and address security and humanitarian needs in Gaza.