>> CATHY: TWO WEEKS IN, THE FRAGILE CEASEFIRE IN THE MIDDLE EAST BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS SEEMS TO BE HOLDING.

CONTINUED VIOLENCE BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES AND CONCERN THAT THE DEAL MAY NOT WORK LONG TERM LED VICE PRESIDENT J.D.

VANCE AND SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO TO MAKE SEPARATE VISITS TO ISRAEL THIS WEEK.

THIS IS ALL HAPPENING HALF A WORLD AWAY, BUT THE CONFLICT HAS REVERBERATED IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS MINNESOTA SINCE IT BEGAN TWO YEARS AGO.

NATHAN STOCK IS AN AFFILIATE OF THE MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE.

STOCK IS AN EXPERT ON THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT WHO HAS LIVED IN BOTH THE GAZA STRIP AND ISRAEL.

IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

>> GOOD TO BE HERE.

>> Cathy: SO, LIKE I SAY, THIS IS A FRAGILE CEASE-FIRE, BUT IT SEEMS O BE HOLDING, WHICH IS GOOD NEWS.

BUT WHAT COULD LEAD TO SOME CRACKS?

>> ELL, THERE'S A LOT TO DO.

FOR STARTERS, THE CEASE-FIRE BROUGHT ABOUT A PARTIAL ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL FROM THE GAZA STRIP.

SO, ISRAELI FORCES REMAIN IN ABOUT 53% OF THE TERRITORY.- THOUT 53% OF THE TERRITORY.- THATT 53% OF THE TERRITORY.- THAT A53% OF THE TERRITORY.- THAT ALO% OF THE TERRITORY.- THAT ALONEOF THE TERRITORY.- THAT ALONE M THE TERRITORY.- THAT ALONE MAKHE TERRITORY.- THAT ALONE MAKES TERRITORY.- THAT ALONE MAKES IERRITORY.- THAT ALONE MAKES IT RITORY.- THAT ALONE MAKES IT VOTORY.- THAT ALONE MAKES IT VOLURY.- THAT ALONE MAKES IT VOLUNT.- THAT ALONE MAKES IT VOLUNTEER TILE AND EXPLAINS SOME OF THE VIOLATIONS OF THE CEASE-FIRE, THE LOCATION OF THOSE ISRAELI FORCES VIS-A-VIS PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS WHO MAY WANT TO RETURN HOME, THAT'S ALL MURKY, AND IN SOME WAYS, DANGEROUS.

SO, ONE KEY QUESTION S, WILL WE SEE FORWARD MOVEMENT?

WILL THE ISRAELI MILITARY ACTUALLY PULL OUT OF THE REMAINDER OF THE GAZA STRIP?

AND THEN WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR RECONSTRUCTION?

ONE OF THE KEY TERMS OF THE DEAL WAS THAT YOU WOULD SEE INCREASED AID GOING INTO GAZA WITH THE CEASE-FIRE, THE AMOUNT OF TRUCKS BEING ALLOWED IN IS TOO LOW, IT'S NOT IN KEEPING WITH THE AGREEMENT, AND T'S NOT ENOUGH TO MEET THE ENORMOUS HUMANITARIAN BACKLOG.

>> Eric: THE PRESIDENT HAS A 20-POINT ROAD MAP FOR HOW THIS IS GOING TO GET DONE.

ONE IS RIGHT UP YOUR ALLEY.

IT SAYS THAT THE U.S.

WILL MEDIATE STEPS TO A PEACEFUL AND PROSPEROUS CO-EXISTENCE BETWEEN PALESTINE, GAZA AND ISRAEL.

DOABLE?

>> ELL, I APPRECIATE THAT THE PRESIDENT IS SKETCHING OUT A BROAD HORIZON.

THAT'S GOOD.

I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY THE BIGGER-PICTURE PLAN HERE IS A LITTLE MURKY.

IN FAIRNESS TO THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, I'M GLAD THEY GOT A DEAL.

THEY PUT PRESSURE ON BOTH SIDES, THEY PUT PRESSURE ON THE ISRAELIS, IN THE WAY THAT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAD NOT, EXAMINE THEY -- AND THEY GOT A DEAL THAT HAS DRAMATICALLY REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF VIOLENCE.

THAT'S GREAT.

IT'S NOT NOTHING.

BUT NOW THEY NEED TO KEEP THEIR EYE ON THE BALL, RIGHT?

REMEMBER THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ESSENTIALLY ENGINEERED A CEASE-FIRE AS THEY WERE COMING INTO OFFICE BACK IN JANUARY, AND IT FELL APART IN SIX WEEKS BECAUSE THEY LOST FOCUS.

SO THE FACT THAT THE VICE PRESIDENT, THE SECRETARY OF STATE WERE JUST THERE, THAT'S A GOOD SIGN.

SUGGESTS THEY'RE FOCUSED.

THE SECRETARY ALSO COMMENTED ON SETTING UP SOME KIND OF MONITORING MECHANISM, WHERE U.S.

DIPLOMATS WHO WILL HAVE SOME ROLE IN ASSESSING THE STATE OF THE CEASE-FIRE, THAT'S ALSO GOOD.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LEDGER, WE'VE HEARD THEM ALK ABOUT REBUILDING ONLY IN THE AREAS CURRENTLY HELD BY ISRAELI TROOPS, WHICH ARE THE EASTERN PARTS OF THE GAZA STRIP, THAT HISTORICALLY WERE MUCH LESS POPULATED, THAT'S NOT GOING TO CUT IT, THAT'S NOT WHERE THE PEOPLE LIVE, THOSE AREN'T THE HOMES THEY WANT TO GO BACK TO, RIGHT?

THE TWO MILLION PALESTINIANS IN GAZA, THEY SHOULD HAVE A SAY IN THIS.

SO FAR IT SEEMS THEY'VE HAD NO VOICE IN IT.

AND INDIVIDUAL CLAIMS SHOULD BE MET.

SO IF YOUR HOME WAS DESTROYED, YOU SHOULD SEE THAT BUILDING REBUILT.

AND THEY DON'T SEEM TO BE ANYWHERE NEAR WORKING OUT THE MECHANISMS THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR THAT LEVEL OF REBUILDING.

>> Cathy: SO THERE ARE STILL SOME ISSUES, THERE ARE A LOT OF SSUES, OBVIOUSLY, AND THERE'S STILL SOME SPASMS OF VIOLENCE AS WE'VE SEEN.

HOW WOULD YOU EVEN BEGIN TO DE-ESCALATE SUCH A LONG-TERM, LARGE-SCALE VIOLENCE THAT WE'VE SEEN IN THAT AREA?

>> SO, PARTS OF WHAT HAVE BEEN AGREED MAKE SENSE.

RIGHT?

START WITH A CEASE-FIRE.

PULL ISRAELI FORCES OUT OF THE MAJOR POPULATION CENTERS.

INJECT INTERNATIONAL MONITORS.

THIS HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT, BUT IN ORDER TO DO THAT, THE PARTIES NEED TO AGREE.

HAMAS NEEDS TO AGREE TO HAVE THEM IN, THE ISRAELIS NEED TO AGREE, IT'S UNCLEAR IF WE HAVE THAT.

>> Eric: U.N.

PEACEKEEPERS?

>> IT COULD BE ANY NUMBERS OF COUNTRIES UNDER A BLUE HELMET U.N.

UMBRELLA, BUT, AGAIN, PUTTING THEM IN AIS A GOOD IDEA.

THROUGH THE MECHANISMS, YOU STABLIZE THE CEASE-FIRE, YOU GENERALLY OPEN THE BORDER, SO YOU CAN HAVE NOT ONLY HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE, BUT THEN THE SURGE OF RECONSTRUCTION THAT YOU NEED, AND THEN THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE SOME SORT OF PALESTINIAN ADMINISTRATION TO OVERSEE GOVERNANCE, AND THEN HOPEFULLY YOU GET BACK TOWARD PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS AND SOME SORT OF BIGGER-PICTURE HORIZON FOR A TRUE AGREEMENT.

>> Eric: HAMAS AGREES NOT TO GOVERN THE GAZA STRIP AND ISRAEL WON'T OCCUPY, IS THAT KIND OF THE TRADE-OFF?

>> IN THEORY.

I MEAN, THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT'S BEEN A LITTLE CAGE I ABOUT THIS, IT'S AN EXTREMELY CONSERVE I HAVE GOVERNMENT.

THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT HAS MINISTERS WHO ARE OBJECTING TO THIS.

SO THIS IS WHERE U.S.

PRESSURE'S GOING TO MATTER QUITE A BIT.

THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP THEIR THUMB ON THE SCALE TO ENSURE THAT ISRAEL ACTUALLY MEETS THE COMMITMENTS AND TRULY PULLS OUT.

BUT THE FACT THAT THEY GOT THIS FAR IS NOT A BAD START.

>> Cathy: WHAT DOES THE REST OF THE WORLD NEED TO DO TO HEAL THIS REGION?

THAT'S A HUGE QUESTION.

I'M SORRY.

BUT -- THERE ARE SO MANY FACTIONS IN THIS, SO WHAT DO THE REST OF THE WORLD NEED TO DO?

>> MULTILATERAL HELP WOULD HELP.

WE'VE SEEN INVOLVEMENT FROM TURKEY, QATAR, EGYPT, THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES I SUSPECT WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF A THOUGHTFUL RECONSTRUCTION EFFORT.

I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO ENSURE THAT THE U.N.

IS IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT OF RECONSTRUCTION.

THE SECRETARY, WHEN HE WAS IN ISRAEL, OBJECTED TO HAVING THE MAIN U.N.

AGENCY IN GAZA BE INVOLVED IN HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE.

THAT'S A REALLY BAD IDEA.

THIS IS THE BIGGEST -- BIG INSTITUTION THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR 80 YEARS AND KNOWS HOW TO DO THIS WORK.

SO THERE ARE SOME BASIC THINGS IN TERMS OF HOW YOU MANAGE THIS KIND OF RECONSTRUCTION.

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SHOULD AGREE TO, AND THEY MAY NEED HELP FROM THEIR ALLIES.

>> Cathy: ALWAYS GREAT HAVING YOU HERE.