Sullivan Speaks w/Counterparts As White House Presses For Gaza Truce

Barak Ravid at Axios reports that White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held calls today with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdel Rahman Al Thani, to discuss, "efforts to conclude a deal for the release of the hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza."

• Comes after US President Joe Biden revealed to reporters, shortly before a White House Situation Room meeting on the issue, that he doesn't believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doing enough to get a deal.
• In the last hour, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the House of Commons that the UK would suspend around 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel because, "there does exist a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law,” according to Foreign Office assessment cited by Lammy.
• Lammy said the suspension does not amount to an arms embargo and Israeli officials have downplayed the consequences of the decision. However, the UK has been central to Western deterrence in the region, including providing military support to intercept an Iranian missile attack on Israel on April 13.
• Anshel Pfeffer at the Economist reports that a Senior Israeli official said: “Israel doesn’t buy arms in the UK and the defence-related purchases are of minor components that are easily obtained elsewhere. Suspending the export licenses will have no impact on Israeli military but it’s a damaging symbolic event with implications.”