Trump tries to take full credit for Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal
Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire deal to pause the devastating war after more than 15 months of fighting, according to the U.S. and Qatar. The destruction and violence resulted in the deaths of at least 46,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, while thousands more have been injured.
But amid the news, President-elect Donald Trump made the historic deal about himself and tried to take sole credit for it—all before President Joe Biden’s administration had held a news briefing on the matter.
“WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST,” Trump posted to his Truth Social platform. “THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!”
In a second post, Trump added, “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.”
Of course, the ceasefire effort was put into motion by Biden and has been carried out while he is president. The deal reached by negotiators is broadly the same as the one Biden proposed last May, which the president noted in a statement, saying, “I laid out the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, after which it was endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council.”
Additionally, on Monday, Jake Sullivan, the Biden White House’s national security adviser, said that a deal was imminent and that he “coordinated very closely” with the incoming Trump team to “present a united message” and “get this deal done as fast as possible.”
The deal still needs to be approved by the Israeli cabinet, which is expected to happen on Thursday. If approved as expected, the ceasefire will go into effect on Sunday. That said, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Wednesday that final details are still being worked out.
If approved, the deal will allow for an exchange and release of all the remaining living Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel would also release some jailed Palestinians and allow for increased humanitarian aid in Gaza. In addition, during the plan’s first 42 days, “Israeli forces will withdraw to the east, away from densely populated areas,” according to ABC News, and eventually, there will be a “permanent cessation of military operations.”
The final phase of the plan would see the two sides exchange remains for identification. At that time, the reconstruction of Gaza would begin, “with compensation for all affected individuals under the supervision of several countries and organizations, including Egypt, Qatar and the U.N.,” according to ABC News.
Notably, last September, Netanyahu rejected the Biden administration’s claim that a ceasefire plan was nearly finished. Since then, of course, the U.S. has elected a new president, suggesting that Netanyahu is far more prepared to bend a knee to the United States now than he was when Democrats controlled Washington, D.C. It’s also likely that he wanted to harm Democrats’ chances at winning the presidency since the continuing conflict in Gaza was seen as a bad issue for them.
Last week, Trump warned reporters that “all hell” would break loose if Hamas did not release the hostages by his Jan. 20 inauguration. It’s possible that the pressure of Trump’s threat shook Netanyahu, who has long shown fealty to the president-elect despite Trump famously accusing him of disloyalty.
Of course, Trump is not currently president, so it makes sense that Biden is pushing back on giving the president-elect too much credit. When a reporter asked on Wednesday who gets credit for the deal, him or Trump, Biden responded, “Is that a joke?”
Unsurprisingly, Trump’s allies are lapping up his lies that the president-elect was singularly responsible for brokering this deal.
“HISTORY: President Trump has ended the war against Israel before he even took the oath of office,” Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted to social media. “Thank God President Trump will be back in the Oval Office in just a few short days!”
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