By MATTHEW LEE, AAMER MADHANI and ELLEN KNICKMEYER
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump are each claiming credit score for Israel and Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire deal in Gaza after the White Home introduced Trump’s Center East envoy into negotiations which have dragged on for months.
Trump wasted no time in asserting he was the transferring pressure behind the deal, whose last particulars had been nonetheless being ironed out, in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace.
“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” Trump wrote on social media. “I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”
Trump added that his incoming Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, would proceed “to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.”
Biden careworn in a press release {that a} deal was reached underneath “the precise contours” of a plan that he set out in late in Might.
“It is the result not only of the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran — but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy,” Biden mentioned. “My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”
Hamas has been designated as a terrorist group by america, Canada and the European Union.
Later in remarks on the White Home, Biden mentioned his administration negotiated the deal however that Trump’s crew will quickly be charged with ensuring it’s carried out, a nod to Witkoff being a companion within the talks.
“For the past few days, we have been speaking as one team,” Biden mentioned.
Nancy Okail, head of the U.S.-based Heart for Worldwide Coverage, mentioned acceptance of the deal within the face of Trump’s insistence {that a} ceasefire be in place when he takes workplace subsequent week “ironically shows how effective actual pressure can be in changing Israeli government behavior.”
Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Scowcroft Center East Safety Initiative on the Atlantic Council, mentioned Biden deserves reward for persevering with to push the talks regardless of repeated failures. However Trump’s threats to Hamas and his efforts via Witkoff to “cajole” Netanyahu deserve credit score as properly, he mentioned.
“The ironic reality is that at a time of heightened partisanship even over foreign policy, the deal represents how much more powerful and influential U.S. foreign policy can be when it’s bipartisan,” he mentioned. “Both the outgoing and incoming administration deserve credit for for this deal and it would’ve been far less likely to happen without both pushing for it.”
The Biden administration’s open embrace of incoming Trump crew involvement within the talks was rooted in way over the president-elect’s affect with Netanyahu and his threats that there could be “hell to pay” if a deal wasn’t carried out by Inauguration Day, which is in 5 days, three present U.S. officers mentioned.
The officers, who spoke on situation of anonymity to supply candid particulars, mentioned their curiosity in having Witkoff take part within the talks alongside Biden’s Mideast pointman, Brett McGurk, was primarily designed to make sure that an settlement — which would require a prolonged American dedication — would have continued U.S. help after Biden leaves workplace.
But, since Witkoff entered the most recent spherical of talks in Doha, Qatar, alongside McGurk, these U.S. officers have downplayed Trump’s relevance to the method aside from the significance of making certain his help for a deal painstakingly negotiated over the previous yr. In addition they need backing for a plan pushed by the Biden administration for the governance, reconstruction and safety of Gaza that may take many months — and important U.S. backing — to succeed.
The officers mentioned it was necessary for all events to the deal to know that the settlement had buy-in from the brand new president. That was necessary not solely as a result of Biden will depart workplace in simply 5 days, but in addition as a result of the U.S. is a guarantor of the settlement that may play out in a number of phases.
One concern about not together with Trump officers within the negotiations was that the post-conflict plan for Gaza that has been labored over the previous yr could be deserted by the brand new administration.
Implementation of the settlement might start Sunday, when the primary group of hostages could also be freed, in response to a senior U.S. official concerned within the talks.
Negotiations intensified over the previous 4 days, in response to the official, who was not approved to remark publicly and spoke on the situation of anonymity. The official described McGurk and Witkoff’s coordination as a “fruitful partnership.”
The U.S., Qatari and Egyptian negotiators together with Israel’s crew close by labored till the wee hours Thursday morning, only a flooring above the place the Hamas negotiators had been holed up, the senior official mentioned.
Later Thursday, Hamas made a number of last-second calls for, however “we held very firm” and Hamas ultimately agreed to the phrases of the deal, the U.S. official mentioned.
The plan outlined most just lately on Tuesday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, requires a world presence in Gaza to work with and help the West Financial institution-based Palestinian Authority with each governance and reconstruction. It additionally requires a short lived international safety presence within the territory to handle Israeli safety considerations.
Over the course of the warfare, Biden’s relationship with Netanyahu was strained by the big Palestinian dying toll within the preventing — now standing at greater than 46,000 lifeless — and Israel’s blockade of the territory that has created a humanitarian disaster in Gaza by leaving entry to meals and fundamental well being care severely restricted.
Professional-Palestinian activists have demanded an arms embargo towards Israel, however U.S. coverage has largely remained unchanged. The State Division in latest days knowledgeable Congress of a deliberate $8 billion weapons sale to Israel.
Biden refusal to impose significant restrictions on how the Israelis could have helped Israel significantly degrade Hamas and Hezbollah, nevertheless it additionally got here with monumental struggling for harmless Palestinians and Lebanese which were caught within the crossfire of the 15 moths of grinding warfare. The outgoing one-term Democrat’s critics say his method might include long-term ramifications for U.S. standing within the Center East and should properly show to be stain on Biden’s legacy.
Initially Revealed: January 15, 2025 at 2:32 PM EST
