Israeli Cabinet Still to Vote on Gaza Cease-Fire Deal: Live Updates

Each president had his own interest in resolving this issue before Inauguration Day. To Mr. Biden, the agreement, if it still exists, represents the final confirmation on his watch, which he hopes will be the end of the most dangerous war in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while freeing Americans and Israelis from captivity. To Mr. Trump, the deal, meanwhile, takes a major issue off the table as he opens for a second term, freeing him to pursue other priorities.

The dramatic development, just five days before the transfer of power in the United States, went against the grain of nature in Washington, where opposition presidents rarely work together during transitions, even when faced with a major crisis. But the political planets soon returned to their normal tracks as the two sides argued over who deserved credit for resolving the standoff.

While Mr. Biden is waiting for an official word from the region, Mr. Trump got the jump on him for disclosing his deal on social media. “This EPIC ceasefire was only possible because of our Historic Victory in November,” he added shortly afterwards.

When Mr. Biden, appearing in front of the White House cameras later this afternoon, was very gracious, noting that the two groups were speaking with one voice. But he was surprised when asked who deserved the credit, him or Mr. Trump. “Is that a joke?” he asked.

Nevertheless, the cooperation, uneven and complex as it was, stood out in an era of deep polarization. “It’s absolutely amazing,” said Mara Rudman, former deputy special envoy for Middle East peace under President Barack Obama. “Everyone talks about who gets the credit, but the truth is that it is shared and part of the reason it worked is that it is shared.”

That did not mean that it would lead to enduring cooperation on this or other matters. “This was a case where the right thing was done in line with the political interests of the people,” said Ms. Rudman, now a scholar at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.

However, the credit is divided, officials, officials and analysts say it seems clear that both presidents played an important role. The agreement that was finally agreed upon was actually similar to the one that Mr. Biden had put on the table last May and that his delegation, led by Brett H. McGurk, his Middle East coordinator, worked diligently to make it acceptable to both sides.

At the same time, the return of Mr. The imminent arrival of Trump and his ominous threat, that “all hell will break loose” if the hostages are not released during his inauguration, clearly changed the balance of the warring parties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who gained so much support from Mr.

Indeed, it meant that Mr. Netanyahu, who goes by the nickname Bibi, called Mr. Trump first thanked him after the deal was announced and then called Mr. Biden. In the statement, Mr. Netanyahu emphasized his gratitude to Mr. Trump “in his words that the United States will work with Israel to ensure that Gaza will never become a terrorist area. Mr. Biden was not mentioned until the fourth paragraph and in only one sentence thanked him “too” for his help.

The desire of Mr. Trump’s push to enforce the deal has gone beyond his public threats and into constructive assistance on the ground. He authorized Steve Witkoff, his longtime friend whom he considered special envoy for the Middle East, to work with Mr. Mr. McGurk and his team are happy to have the help and support of Mr. Witkoff as profit.

“This was Biden’s deal,” Former Representative Tom Malinowski, Democrat of New Jersey, wrote on social media, “but as much as I hate to say it, he wouldn’t have done it without Trump – not so much Trump’s threats. Hamas, but his willingness to tell Bibi bluntly that the war had to end in Jan. 20.”

There were Republicans who were willing to praise Mr. Biden for his efforts to make a deal with Mr. “Good to see the Biden Administration and the Trump Transition working together to make this deal happen,” wrote Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina on social media.

Few revolutions have seen such a time of conflict of interest. In the throes of the Depression, defeated President Herbert Hoover tried to negotiate with President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt to come together to solve the banking crisis, but was overruled by the incoming leader who did not want to be tied to his predecessor. .

The most horrific example came 44 years ago, when President Jimmy Carter worked until his last hours in office to free 52 American hostages held in Iran without help from his successor, President-elect Ronald Reagan. In fact, some evidence has emerged showing that people close to Mr. Reagan tried to discourage Iran from releasing the hostages before the election for fear that it would help Mr. Carter, although the official investigation never confirmed that.

Mr. Carter finally made a deal to free the hostages, but in a final insult Iran blocked the planes with the Americans on board until Mr. Reagan was sworn into office on Jan. 20, 1981. That memory was not lost on Mr. Biden’s team in recent weeks, especially after the death of Mr. Carter last month. Administration officials and their allies in recent days have been pondering the possibility of history repeating itself.

The impending change in political leadership in the United States was not the only thing driving the talks about the war in Gaza. The situation on the ground has changed a lot since Mr. Biden first offered his cease-fire proposal in May.

Meanwhile, Israel has removed the leadership of Hamas, in addition to disbanding its Hezbollah affiliate in Lebanon and withdrawing key military bases from Iran. The cease-fire created by Biden in Lebanon has left Hamas without a second line against Israel, further dividing it. And the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria only strengthened the weakness of Iran and its allies and proxies.

But the upcoming Inauguration Day in Washington creates a new enforcement deadline that is hard to ignore. Mr. Trump did not say much when he campaigned for the war, but when he did he made it clear that he was not happy about it and urged Israel to end it immediately because of the painful images of death and destruction in Gaza. they were damaging Israel’s reputation around the world.

In addition, the relationship of Mr. Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu have changed since his first term, when he presented himself as a staunch friend of the Israeli leader. Mr. Trump cut aid to the Palestinians, moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem, recognized Israel’s authority over the Golan Heights and oversaw the opening of relations between Israel and several of its Arab neighbors.

But their relationship soured in the last year of Mr. Trump when he realized that Mr. Netanyahu was taking advantage of this opportunity, and they deteriorated further when the prime minister congratulated Mr. Biden for winning the 2020 election Mr. Mr. Netanyahu has worked diligently in recent months to meet with Mr.

Regarding Mr. Biden, his relationship with Mr. Netanyahu has been critical since the days after the terrorist attack led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, when he flew to Israel and hugged the Israeli leader on the tarmac. Biden advisers and allies have suspected that Mr. Netanyahu had deliberately held back the deal to give a victory to Mr.

Mr. Biden did not say anything about that during his televised speech on Wednesday. But after 15 months of trying to manage the Middle East crisis and start a regional war, he seemed relieved to see the end coming.

“I am deeply satisfied that this day has come, it has finally come, because of the people of Israel and the families who are waiting in pain and because of the innocent people in Gaza who are suffering unimaginable damage because of the war,” Mr. Said Biden.

He spoke in solidarity with Mr Trump without naming him. “I can also see that this agreement was developed and negotiated under my administration,” said Mr. Biden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. “But its principles will be used more by the next administration. In the last few days, we have been speaking as one group.”

Asked about the role of Mr. Trump, Mr. Biden noted that the ceasefire was “a real framework for the agreement that I proposed in May” and said he was praised for giving Israel the support it needed to weaken Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. “I knew that this agreement would have to be made by the next group, so I told my team to contact the incoming team to make sure we all speak with the same voice because that’s what American presidents do. .”

Mr Trump did not comment on the role of his predecessor’s team and left a picture on social media that he had delivered the deal himself.

“We have achieved a lot without being in the White House,” he wrote. “Just think of all the good things that will happen when I return to the White House, and my administration is fully vindicated, for more Victory for the United States!”