Vice President JD Vance appears on Face the Nation as part of his Sunday talk circuit.  The video and transcript of the discussion is below.

[Transcript] MARGARET BRENNAN: Good morning and welcome to Face The Nation. We begin today with Vice President JD Vance, who joins us from Cincinnati, this morning. Good morning to you, Mr. Vice President.

VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: Good morning, Margaret, thanks for having me.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We are getting very close to that 72 hour deadline for the hostage release. I think the world is holding its breath here. Is the administration seeing signs that Hamas and Israel are complying with everything they need to and that this will go ahead?

VICE PRESIDENT VANCE: Yes, Margaret, so knock on wood, but we feel very confident the hostages will be released, and that the President is actually traveling to the Middle East, likely this evening, in order to meet them and greet them in person. It’s a big day for their families, but I think more importantly, it’s a big day for the entire world.

The President of the United States said to his entire diplomatic team, especially Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to go and get a deal done, to stop the war in Gaza, to begin to rebuild Gaza so the population could live there in peace and prosperity, to actually eliminate the threat of terrorism to our friends in Israel- which is very, very important, and also to bring the hostages home alive. It was a very tall task. He pursued a very non traditional diplomacy with people who were not 40 year diplomats, but people who brought a fresh perspective to it. And of course, the President was criticized for it. The diplomatic team was criticized for it. But I think that because he chose a different pathway, he didn’t just do what everybody else in the past had done. We are now on the cusp of a sustainable peace in the Middle East. It’s a great moment.

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President Donald J Trump has a remarkable schedule for the next 36 hours.

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President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff speaks to a massive crowd from “Hostage Square” in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Speaking beside Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, Steve Witkoff delivered a message of thanks and appreciation to the people of Israel on the cusp of the release of the Israeli hostages and a historic Mideast peace agreement.

The Israeli crowd erupts in boos when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s name is mentioned, but erupts in applause and chants of “Thank you Trump”, when President Trump’s name is mentioned. Blessed are the peacemakers.  WATCH:

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As noted by President Trump during his remarks about the regional state leaders requesting that he personally head the “Gaza Board of Peace,” it is only USA President Trump the regional stakeholder’s trust.

Together with the USA and Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE and Qatar have tentatively constructed a ceasefire and peace plan that is contingent upon President Trump as the fulcrum to balance all interests.  This puts President Trump in an exceptionally important position.  This balance is also why only Donald Trump can pull this off.

As the difficult challenge begins, the preliminary objectives – the ‘how to do this‘ – aspect starts to surface.  As noted by the Associated Press, President Trump is sending 200 experts in transportation, planning, security, logistics and engineering from the U.S. military to frame out a “civil-military coordination center” in Israel.

The coordination center will include partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and private-sector experts.  The regional states will supplement and support the center as the transitional hub for immediate reconstruction and humanitarian aid.  It is likely President Trump will need to select and appoint members to the Gaza Board of Peace as this coordination center gets up and running.

As this process unfolds, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to get angered by a predictable stiff-arm from President Trump.  The regional stakeholders will be watching this dynamic closely.  Domestically, this will be very interesting to watch play out.

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International politics can be boring at times, but the one constant in an ever-changing universe is the hubris of the European Union.

With President Trump outlining the breakthrough negotiations for a peace agreement in Gaza, Emmanuel Macron (France), Keir Starmer (U.K) and Friedrich Merz (Germany) call an urgent meeting of EU Foreign Ministers to organize their strategy to take over the Gaza “Board of Peace.”

EUROPE – Now that Donald Trump’s peace deal has the green light, European powers want a seat at the table.

As the news broke that Israel and Hamas had agreed the first phase of a ceasefire plan, French President Emmanuel Macron sent a rapid call out to other European allies and Arab nations to meet in Paris.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul both broke away from a U.K.-hosted summit on the Western Balkans to meet fellow ministers in France.

[…] The trio of countries known as the “E3” is likely to argue for a representative on the “Board of Peace,” the body that will oversee the transitional governance of Gaza by a Palestinian committee. (read more)

At a topline review the demands of the EU are pure hubris.  However, when you review the underlying background of the EU state actors, the events are more appropriately considered pathetic.

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The entire world is watching events unfold.  A middle east gordian knot that was considered impossible to untie, has been cut by President Donald Trump and his negotiation team.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio recaps recent events during a cabinet meeting.  WATCH:

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In a remarkable moment of transparent diplomacy, President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were simultaneously working on a Gaza peace agreement while conducting a domestic security roundtable event at the White House.

The cameras were rolling when President Trump stated the negotiation team was close to an agreement. WATCH:

Evan Vucci of the Associated Press captured an image of Rubio’s note, which read: “Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.” Shortly after the roundtable event, President Trump shared the results of the discussions taking place in Egypt.

“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”

~DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

WASHINGTON DC – […] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called it “a great day for Israel” and thanked the Israel Defense Forces and the U.S. president.

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As a U.S. delegation arrives in Israel to coordinate the ongoing effort to end the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza, Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, Marco Rubio, appears on Face the Nation to outline the current status of the hostage release efforts.

[Transcript] – MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to Secretary of State and National Security Adviser, Marco Rubio. Good morning to you, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO: Good morning.

MARGARET BRENNAN: It would be extraordinary to end what has been one of Israel’s longest and bloodiest wars. The prime minister said he’s only allowing these talks that will be underway in Egypt to go for a few days. What exactly is the deadline for Hamas and the terror groups who are holding hostages? When do they need to release them?

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President Trump responds to a statement by the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, where they agree to release all the Israeli hostages and engage negotiations for the remaining details of President Trump’s proposal.

Statement from Hamas below.

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President Trump releases the outline of the negotiated agreement to end the conflict in Gaza.

President Donald J. Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict:

1. Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.

2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.

3. If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.

4. Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.

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