Two GOP House members who traveled to the Middle East in recent weeks expressed optimism that disputes over control of the strategic Philadelphi Corridor, which have emerged as a major sticking point in cease-fire and hostage-release negotiations, can be resolved in a manner favorable to Israel.

Reps. Jim Banks (R-IN) and John Curtis (R-UT) traveled with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) to meet with the leaders of Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, among others. Both Banks and Curtis are running for Senate in their respective states and are heavily favored to win in November.

Banks told Jewish Insider after the trip that he agrees with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel “has a right” to control the Philadelphi Corridor, the border zone between Egypt and Gaza. He said the lawmakers emphasized the security considerations at that border in their meetings with each of the Arab leaders as well.

He didn’t speak specifically to how Arab leaders responded, although he acknowledged that there were “disagreements expressed in many of the meetings.” Banks said that the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Qatar expressed “a very strong desire to strike a cease-fire deal.”

Banks said he sees the border border issue as one that can be resolved.

“Most of the conversations we have again go back to the border … and if that’s where we are, I think that gives a lot of us hope that we’re close to a deal,” Banks said, “as long as Israel is able to control and secure that border … I remain hopeful that this is something that can happen in the near-term, but it has to be in the best interest of Israel.”

Curtis told JI that the Philadelphi Corridor was a frequent topic of discussion throughout the region and that there was “optimism that it could be worked out on both sides.” Curtis framed control of the corridor as critical to ensuring that Hamas does not pose a future threat.

He said some Israeli officials had suggested that there is room for negotiation on what Israel’s continued presence in the zone would look like, including that Israel would not need a physical presence in “every square foot” of the corridor.

Curtis praised Jordan and Egypt as key — and underappreciated — allies of the U.S. and of Israel. He said the U.S. partners are clear-eyed about Israel’s needs and demands as part of the cease-fire talks.

“Although they were adamant about the fact that Israel needed to negotiate a cease-fire, they also acknowledged completely that Israel had to get what they needed out of the cease-fire,” Curtis said: “that Israel would never have to worry about Hamas again. And they knew that, and they acknowledged that.”

Curtis told JI he was also surprised to learn that leaders in the region agreed that Iran and Hezbollah want to avoid sparking a broader war.

“I’m perceiving that they don’t want this to come unraveled,” Curtis said he told one Arab leader. “He said, ‘absolutely.’”

Curtis said that the prospect of an Iranian attack on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran — seen several weeks ago as imminent — was a frequent topic of discussion. He said the group’s interlocutors suggested Iran would respond in a limited manner that “de-escalates” and would not prompt a significant Israeli response.

Hamas executed American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages during the tail end of the group’s time in the region, days after the lawmakers had dinner with Goldberg-Polin’s parents.

Banks said the murders “brought home why we were there: to get a sense on the ground of how close we are to a resolution to a cease-fire, and what yet still needs to happen to make that happen, to get that done.”

He said the killings also drove home the message that Hamas can’t be trusted or reliably negotiated with, and “it emboldens my position that Prime Minister Netanyahu is right and that the only way to resolve this is to prevent Hamas from ever doing something like this again.”

Banks also repeatedly slammed the Biden administration for what he characterized as a “lack of moral clarity,” and for attacking Israel and being too soft on Hamas.

In Saudi Arabia, the lawmakers told Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman that normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia remains a priority for them.

“MBS expressed his hope and desire for that too,” Banks said, although Banks did not sound bullish on the near-term prospects for such a deal. He predicted it could come about under a second Trump administration.

Banks said the lawmakers and Bin Salman did not address specific conditions or demands that would come as part of a normalization deal, and that the conversation focused more on the crown prince’s internal goals and vision for his country.

The group also visited the northern Israeli Druze town of Majdal Shams, the site of a deadly Hezbollah rocket attack that killed a dozen children, which Curtis said remains largely untouched since the attack.

“To see the grief of these families and then the whole community,” Curtis said. “The whole community was dramatically impacted.”

Banks described the visit as “very emotional,” as the father of three young girls.

“We should be cutting off supply, the sources of money going to groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, and instead, we have an administration that’s hell-bent on appeasing them,” Banks alleged.

Curtis has spent significant time in Israel, including six months as a student in 1979, at the time of the peace accord between Israel and Egypt.

“I’ve seen Israel in a lot of different phases, and in many ways, things just haven’t changed,” Curtis said. “There’s always this thing hanging over Israel. And sure, it’s at a heightened point now, but it’s been at a lot of heightened points since I was there in 1979.”