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Welcome back to Foreign Policy<\/em>\u2019s Situation Report. U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s flurry of diplomacy continues, with the White House confirming that he will make the first trip to Asia of his second term next week. Negotiations on Ukraine and the Middle East continue apace.<\/p>\n On that note, here\u2019s what\u2019s on tap for the day: The Trump administration keeps a close eye on the cease-fire in Gaza<\/strong>, the U.S. treasury secretary unveils new sanctions against Russia<\/strong>, and Trump\u2019s war against alleged drug boats<\/strong> expands to the Pacific<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Welcome back to Foreign Policy<\/em>\u2019s Situation Report. U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s flurry of diplomacy continues, with the White House confirming that he will make the first trip to Asia of his second term next week. Negotiations on Ukraine and the Middle East continue apace.<\/p>\n On that note, here\u2019s what\u2019s on tap for the day: The Trump administration keeps a close eye on the cease-fire in Gaza<\/strong>, the U.S. treasury secretary unveils new sanctions against Russia<\/strong>, and Trump\u2019s war against alleged drug boats<\/strong> expands to the Pacific<\/strong>.<\/p>\n U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner were all in Israel this week as part of an effort to hold together a fragile cease-fire in Gaza. The truce faced a major test last weekend with renewed Israeli airstrikes that killed dozens of Palestinians, which Israel said were conducted in response to a Hamas attack. The cease-fire survived but remains on thin ice.<\/p>\n With so many top U.S. officials visiting the region, Vance sought on Wednesday to push against the notion that Washington was seeking to babysit<\/a> the Gaza truce and tell Israel what to do\u2014or as some in the Israeli media have called it: Bibi-sitting.<\/p>\n Vance said that the United States is not looking to \u201cmonitor a toddler\u201d in Israel and views the country as an important partner, not a \u201cvassal state.\u201d But it\u2019s clear that the Trump administration, which has already taken a victory lap over its Gaza peace plan with misleading declarations of the war being over<\/a>, is nervous that the process could fall apart. During his visit to Israel, Vance said<\/a> he\u2019s optimistic about the cease-fire but acknowledged that there\u2019s still\u00a0\u201ca lot of work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look at what\u2019s next on the administration\u2019s agenda in the peace process.<\/p>\n Stabilizing forces.<\/strong> Trump\u2019s plan<\/a> calls for the establishment of an international stabilization force that will be temporarily deployed in Gaza to help with security issues and train a Palestinian police force. Vance said<\/a> on Thursday that those troops would spearhead the process of disarming Hamas\u2014something that the militant group has yet to agree to.<\/p>\n Nations that the administration has floated as possible contributors to the force include Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. But recent reports indicate that some countries are reluctant to get involved<\/a>, given the lack of clarity surrounding the mission and the potential for clashes with Hamas.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also unlikely that Israel will be thrilled with having an international force in Gaza that involves countries that it has shaky relations with, such as Turkey. Indeed, when asked<\/a> by a reporter on Wednesday about the idea of having Turkish forces in Gaza, Netanyahu said: \u201cI have very strong opinions about that. Want to guess what they are?\u201d<\/p>\n Rubio said<\/a> on Wednesday that the Trump administration might seek a United Nations mandate for the stabilization force, which would provide a sense of legitimacy for the force and a legal basis for it under international law. However, though Washington has deployed some troops to Israel<\/a> to help oversee the cease-fire and has signaled that they will help coordinate with the stabilization force once it\u2019s up and running, the Trump administration has maintained that no U.S. service members will be on the ground in Gaza.<\/p>\n Control and reconstruction.<\/strong> As these issues get sorted out, Kushner has proposed a plan<\/a> that would split Gaza into two zones, with one controlled by Hamas and the other controlled by the Israel Defense Forces. Kushner\u2019s proposal calls for the area under Israeli control, which currently constitutes about 53 percent of Gaza, to be reconstructed. Meanwhile, no funds for reconstruction would be allocated to the area controlled by Hamas until the group disarms. This proposal has reportedly alarmed Arab mediators, who are concerned that it could lead to permanent Israeli control of portions of Gaza.<\/p>\n Long story short, Gaza\u2019s future remains extremely uncertain, and the survival of the peace process is also being tested by concerns over the potential for Israel to annex the occupied West Bank. The Trump administration excoriated Israel over a preliminary Knesset vote on a measure that would apply Israeli sovereignty over settlements in the occupied West Bank, which is seen as a step toward annexation\u2014a prospect that the U.S. vehemently opposes. Vance called<\/a> the vote a \u201cstupid political stunt,\u201d and Rubio suggested<\/a> that it was \u201cpotentially threatening to the peace deal.\u201d<\/p>\n U.S. Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell announced on Wednesday that more than 60 journalists will receive credentials to cover the department, a week after most mainstream news outlets walked out after refusing to sign a highly restrictive Pentagon press policy that they said infringes on press freedom.<\/p>\n The newly formed press corps mostly represents \u201cnew media outlets and independent journalists,\u201d Parnell said, including 26 journalists representing 18 outlets from the previous press corps who chose to sign the policy. The list reportedly<\/a> includes several right-wing, pro-Trump influencers and organizations such as LindellTV, the outlet started by Trump acolyte and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.<\/p>\n Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is also reportedly<\/a> putting new restrictions on how Pentagon employees speak with Congress, requiring that they obtain approval from the department\u2019s legislative affairs office before speaking with Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n Also this week, the Defense Department (which Trump unofficially renamed the Department of War), along with the White House and other agencies, joined the Bluesky social media platform\u2014marketed as an alternative to X\u2014where they were met with intense trolling and blocking<\/a> by the platform\u2019s users.<\/p>\n What should be high on your radar, if it isn\u2019t already.<\/em><\/p>\n (F)oiled.<\/strong> Trump\u2019s frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been mounting for months, but he has largely refrained from acting on that frustration\u2014until now. The Trump administration announced new sanctions late Wednesday on Rosneft and Lukoil, targeting two of Russia\u2019s biggest oil companies and sparking a knock-on effect on Russian oil\u2019s biggest buyers, India and China. Our colleagues Keith Johnson<\/a> and Sam Skove<\/a> have more details.<\/p>\n Other Western countries are also stepping up their pressure campaign on Russia and their support for Ukraine. The European Union imposed its own set of fresh sanctions on Russia on Wednesday, while the United Kingdom slapped similar sanctions on Russian oil last week. Sweden is also reportedly<\/a> preparing to sell Ukraine up to 150 of its Gripen fighter jets.<\/p>\n The war on drugs widens.<\/strong> The Trump administration this week expanded its highly controversial strikes on what it claims are boats used to ferry drugs to the United States, attacking two such boats in the Pacific Ocean earlier in the week. That\u2019s in addition to more than half a dozen strikes in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela that the U.S. military has already carried out. John has more details on the operation and its implications here<\/a>.<\/p>\n