File this one under “presidential transition blues.” There is, as reported earlier, a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. On Wednesday, Joe Biden delivered a statement on the deal – and he received quite an interesting question.
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President Biden brushed off a question about who would get the credit for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal struck Wednesday.
“Is that a joke?” Biden responded when asked by a reporter whether he or President-elect Trump would get credit for the deal, which could bring an end to the 15-month conflict in Gaza.
Trump publicly celebrated the news of the deal before an official statement from the White House was released hours later. The president-elect also claimed the credit for himself, saying a deal would not have happened without his victory in November over Vice President Harris.
While announcing the deal with Harris by his side, Biden acknowledged it will be implemented after he leaves office and said his team has been working with Trump’s incoming team. Trump is set to be sworn in Monday.
This is always part of the deal with presidential transitions; some things negotiated or begun under one administration are carried out by another, and when the handoff is between presidential administrations of different parties, things can get tetchy. But what Joe Biden, for all his “sharp as a tack” mind, doesn’t mention is that Trump’s team was in fact involved with the negotiations:
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“I knew this deal would have to be implemented by the next team, so I told my team to coordinate closely with the incoming team to make sure we’re all speaking with the same voice, because that’s what America’s presidents do,” Biden said.
Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, worked closely with Biden’s negotiators to reach a conclusion on the deal. Trump, in his statement, said Witkoff and his incoming national security team “will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.”
We also wrote earlier on Wednesday, on Trump’s statement about the ceasefire; It is laudable, although that may be easier said than done.
See Related: BREAKING: Israel, Hamas Agree on Ceasefire, Hostage Deal
Arab Leaders Praise Trump for Accomplishing More in One Meeting Than Woeful Biden Did All Year
The real credit here rightfully goes to Israel for the harsh and unflinching prosecution of their operations in Gaza, in which the Israel Defense Forces revoked the birth certificates of Hamas terrorists in carload lots. Were it not for their effective and tireless prosecution of the conflict in Gaza, Hamas never would have come to the negotiating table.
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Hostage releases are supposedly one of the first steps in the implementation of the ceasefire deal, The Hill reported in the story linked above.
As part of the deal, Biden announced the deal includes the release of American hostages in the deal’s initial six-week phase that features a pause in fighting.
“I’m proud to say Americans will be part of that hostage release in Phase 1 as well, and the vice president and I cannot wait to welcome them home,” Biden said.
Of course, it will be President Trump and Vice President Vance who will, in fact, be welcoming the hostages home.
The real worry here is that this ceasefire will only be a temporary thing. Hamas has used pauses like this in the past to rest, re-equip, recruit, and re-arm, just to attack Israel again at a later date. There’s little reason to think this ceasefire will be any different, and this conflict will continue until Hamas is no longer a factor.
