Barbara Leaf, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, said: Washington considers the prisoner exchange deal and the ceasefire in Gaza that is currently being discussed “a crucial starting point.”

   She pointed out, "The beginning of this conflict was bleak, and we are focusing on taking advantage of the opportunities provided by those who focus on achieving the Palestinian people's quest to establish a Palestinian state, which is a legitimate quest and has not yet been achieved."

She said in an interview with reporters via Zoom technology: “We are deeply involved in the efforts made to reach an arrangement for the release of the hostages, so the director of the CIA in Europe was at the end of last week to work intensively with our partner Egypt, our partner Qatar, and our Israeli partners to develop a proposal to be presented to Hamas, for the purpose of initiating a deal that would also include a truce or humanitarian truces.”

She added: "So we consider this hostage deal a crucial starting point, and there is a path that must be found in the end to lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state." She continued: “The two issues are separate, and Hamas’s use of extraordinary violence has hampered efforts to achieve this end. But in every crisis, there is still room for opportunity, and you heard President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and National Security Advisor Sullivan talking about this, in Ultimately, peace, stability and security for Israelis and Palestinians will be achieved through a negotiated path to the establishment of a Palestinian state, and this is something we are committed to.”

Regarding the outcome of the deliberations regarding the deal, she said: “I think they are still in the deliberations stage.”

Liv arrives in the region ahead of a tour by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Liv said: “I have visited the region six times since October 7, and I am returning to the region. Our goal is to seek a sustainable solution to this conflict, and by that I do not mean putting an end to the conflict at this stage. Rather, what is more important is to look beyond what is happening, and consider “How to build a path that leads to the establishment of a Palestinian state and puts a final end to the causes of insecurity in Israel and the insecurity of the Palestinian people and the broader region as well.”

It identified 4 priorities for the US administration in the immediate term:

She said: “So our priorities in the immediate and near term are the following: First, we are fully focused on improving the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, by working with all our partners to increase the aid reaching the residents of the Strip, and urging all possible measures to protect civilians.” She added: "Secondly, we are strongly pushing for the safe and immediate release of all hostages. Thirdly, we want to ensure that what happened on October 7 and the conflict that followed will not be repeated - whether for Israelis or Palestinians." “Fourth, we seek to ensure that the conflict does not expand, and we have focused on this through every ounce of our diplomacy since the early days of the conflict,” Liv continued. “There is no doubt that this goal is complicated by the destabilizing actions undertaken by Iranian-backed actors in various parts of the region.”

She added: “We remain focused on immediate and short-term goals, while simultaneously working with partners to launch the hard work aimed at creating a path that leads to the establishment of a Palestinian state. This is the only way to achieve a sustainable peace that benefits Israelis, Palestinians, and the region as a whole. 

The United States is committed to this region is more committed than ever before, and is committed to finding a better path that leads to achieving security, stability and prosperity for the region.”

Regarding the United States’ suspension of support for UNRWA after Israeli allegations, she said: “UNRWA provides services to the Palestinian people, including in Gaza currently, and there is no alternative to the work it does and its structure and employees in Gaza specifically.”

She added: “We had no choice but to suspend funding last week given the seriousness of these allegations, but we, other donors and the United Nations are working as quickly as possible to uncover the truth of what happened and ensure that it does not happen again. There is no doubt that we are consulting closely with the Israeli government” and other donors, countries in the region, and members of Congress.”