US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Friday that it would not be “logical” or “right” for Israel to reoccupy Gaza, as US and Israeli officials continue to push contradictory visions about the future of the Strip, the Financial Times reported.

Speaking at a press conference upon takeoff from Tel Aviv, Sullivan revealed that Israel “does not have a long-term plan to occupy Gaza,” and explained that the United States is in “intensive” discussions with Israel about the timeframe for the transition to a new Palestinian administration in Gaza and how it should happen, but he insisted that the American position on the future of Gaza is “clear.”

“We do not believe it is logical or right for Israel to occupy Gaza and reoccupy Gaza in the long term, and we would like to see that shift eventually happen,” Sullivan said.

The Biden administration has said that the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the occupied West Bank and administered the Gaza Strip until 2007, should play a key role in the Strip once Israel ends its military activities.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out the return of the Palestinian Authority or any Palestinian-run government to Gaza. On Thursday, Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli Defense Cabinet, clearly said that Israel would retain full security control of the Strip, and that this would include “taking over territory” to provide a launching pad for future military operations.

The intransigence of Israeli officials regarding the role of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza stems from their rejection of the idea of a Palestinian state.

On Thursday, Tzipi Hotovely, the Israeli ambassador to the UK, told Sky News that there was “absolutely no” possibility of the Israeli government agreeing to a two-state solution – which would include recognition of a Palestinian state.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated, “We have seen a number of different statements from different officials within the Israeli government regarding the two states. We will continue to clarify what our policy is and what we believe is the appropriate policy moving forward. And I say this as an appropriate policy not only for the benefit of the Palestinian people, but rather in the interest of the Israeli people, and in the interest of Israel’s long-term stability and security.”

Miller said, "The October 7 attacks should be a wake-up call to everyone that the status quo that has existed for several years is not in Israel's interest, and that there must be a solution moving forward that meets the legitimate aspirations of Israel and the Palestinian people while providing security for the Israeli people." "We believe that the best way to achieve that is to establish an independent Palestinian state. We have made that very clear. We are making that clear privately, we are making that clear publicly, and this is something that we will continue to work with the Israeli government on."

Opposition to the two-state solution enjoys broad consensus across the various Israeli political spectrum, but is particularly entrenched in Netanyahu's far-right coalition.

Sullivan met with a number of senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, and he also met Friday in the West Bank with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, where he said he discussed how to reform the Palestinian Authority, according to statements by John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council.

“At a fundamental level, we believe that the Palestinian Authority needs to be renewed and revitalized, and it needs to be modernized in terms of its style of governance and its representation of the Palestinian people,” Kirby said.

In turn, Sullivan further emphasized that ultimately it should be "up to the Palestinian people to act through their representation."

The Israeli war on Gaza has left more than 18,800 Palestinians dead, the vast majority of them civilians, including at least 8,000 children.