Biden’s role in Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal obscured by enemies Trump | Israel-Palestine Conflicts News

Before United States President Joe Biden even announced the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, his claim to a major foreign policy victory in the days of the administration was overshadowed by his political nemesis, Donald Trump.

Trump, who will be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States next week, revealed that an agreement had been reached on his Truth Social forum before Biden confirmed the agreement in a statement from the White House on Wednesday evening.

“This EPIC ceasefire agreement was only possible because of our Historic Victory in November, as it showed the world that my administration will seek peace and negotiate agreements to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our allies,” Trump wrote. , no doubt a successful claim to fame after 15 months of devastating war.

Speaking at the White House later, Biden said his communications efforts “never stop”, but acknowledged that his administration has worked with Trump’s team to ensure the US is “speaking with one voice”.

Trump has sent his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to negotiations for a ceasefire in Qatar.

Biden, who has been widely criticized by the progressive Democratic Party for his support for Israel, said the deal was “developed and negotiated with my team” and seemed confused that there could be confusion about who is replacing him. success.

Asked by a reporter if he or Trump deserved credit, Biden replied: “Is that a joke?”

Bluster and bravado

While Trump is known for his penchant for bravado and bravado, his involvement in breaking the ceasefire has been widely acknowledged beyond the ranks of his staunchest allies.

Mike Casey, a former US State Department official who resigned because of Biden’s support for the war, said there was an argument that Israel had delayed the deal “as a gift to Trump”.

“There are domestic political considerations with Netanyahu, and it’s really not that different than the deal they would have agreed to in May,” Casey told Al Jazeera.

Casey said the Biden administration has “no real negotiations” with Israel because they know the US will eventually give in to any of their demands.

In Israel, some media coverage even suggested that Trump’s involvement was the main reason behind this.

The Times of Israel, citing two unnamed Arab officials, reported that Trump’s ambassador Witkoff’s involvement in one round of talks did “more to sway” Netanyahu toward accepting the deal than Biden had done all year.

Although it did not go so far as to give Trump a large share of the credit, Biden officials speaking privately with the US media acknowledged that his party played a major role.

Another Biden official told reporters that Witkoff played a “very important role”, and his collaboration with Biden’s negotiator Brett McGurk appeared to be “effective”, according to a recorded report published on X by independent journalist, Ken Klippenstein.

Netanyahu and Witkoff’s office did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s requests for comment.

‘Some interest in the Trump team’

Jean-Loup Samaan, a senior researcher at the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore, said it was “highly possible” that Trump’s team pressured Netanyahu to accept the deal.

“Trump was clear that he didn’t want the war to continue when he returned to the Oval Office, especially since the deal will start under his watch,” Samanan told Al Jazeera.

“At the same time, one can say that announcing these pressures would benefit Netanyahu in his political plans and his far-right allies in the government,” he said.

“This could be a way [Netanyahu] to convey the message that he has no choice but to show favor to the Trump team to temper the anger of ministers like Ben-Gvir and Smotrich,” said Saman, referring to right-wing Israeli cabinet members Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. .

Alam Saleh, a Middle East expert at the Australian National University, said it was clear that Witkoff had played a major role in the success and that his influence had been enormous.

“If he was able to develop some relationships or bring new ideas to the table, it is out of the question that Netanyahu could have been influenced by his position or the power of the assembly,” Saleh told Al Jazeera.

“It is possible that this story is partially true but it may also be exaggerated in its importance,” said Saleh.

“Politically, the timing may be meant to set the stage for Trump’s team to be more effective on Middle East peace issues – something that should be kept in mind as this develops.”

For Biden, the coverage of his role in the Gaza siege recalls the political fortunes of the late US President Jimmy Carter, who died last month at the age of 100.

In 1981, Carter, a one-term president like Biden, worked with the incoming Ronald Reagan administration to secure the release of 52 Americans held in the US embassy in Iran.

After 444 days inside the embassy, ​​the Americans, whose captivity contributed to Carter’s low public approval before his resounding election defeat, flew out of Iran shortly after Reagan was sworn in as president, giving the new administration a major political victory.