President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, did more to pressure Israel to agree to a hostage and ceasefire deal in one meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than President Biden did in an entire year, two Arab officials have told The Times of Israel.
Witkoff met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Saturday and got him to make concessions, which Israeli media said was the deciding factor that led to the ceasefire deal announced on Wednesday.
It’s unclear how Witkoff got Netanyahu to agree to the deal, but the Biden administration refused to use any of its leverage over Israel to force a deal and continued providing huge amounts of military aid to support the genocidal slaughter in Gaza.
Even though Witkoff played a crucial role in the deal, Biden took credit for the agreement. “My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
In brief remarks at the White House, Biden credited his foreign policy team, who he referred to as “peacemakers” despite their role in backing the slaughter in Gaza. When asked by a reporter if he or Trump should get credit for the deal, Biden said, “Is that a joke?”
Biden also credited his strong backing of Israel as a factor that led to the deal. But unconditional US support for Israel emboldened Netanyahu to sabotage previous negotiations and escalate elsewhere in the region.
The ceasefire deal is based on an outline Biden proposed back in May 2024, which Hamas accepted months ago. The agreement involves three phases and does not commit Israel to a permanent ceasefire.
