The New York Times writes that the cease-fire agreement in Gaza was achieved in part thanks to the extraordinary cooperation between US President Joe Biden and US President-elect Donald Trump.
“Both presidents have instructed their advisers to work together to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas on the cessation of hostilities (…) and the release of hostages who have been held there for 15 months. The agreement is expected on Sunday, a day before the execution. Biden will hand over the White House to Trump,” wrote the New York Times.
According to the newspaper, the presidents were united by common interests. For the retired Biden, the deal would mean “the final vindication of his actions” that would end the bloodiest war in the long history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But for Trump, the deal gives Trump more room to maneuver at the start of his second term.
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“This development, just five days before the United States took office, ran counter to the natural state of Washington, where presidents of opposing parties rarely cooperate during transitions of power, even in the face of a major crisis.” emphasized “NYT”.
Biden chose to wait for official news from Israel and Palestine. But Trump immediately revealed the deal in a post on social media. “This epic ceasefire agreement could only have happened as a result of our historic victory in November,” the president-elect said, referring to his success in the presidential election.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden White House / Zuma Press / Forum
At a press conference on Wednesday, the outgoing president emphasized that both teams, Democrats and Republicans, worked together on this deal. But to the question of who should be responsible for the success of this initiative, he answered by asking the journalist if he was joking.
“The initiative was successful precisely because it was popular”
Even if cooperation is difficult, the very fact that it exists at a time of such great polarization in American society is a positive thing, according to the NYT.
Mara Rudman, who was the deputy special envoy for peace in the Middle East under President Barack Obama, admitted in an interview with the newspaper: “It’s really unusual.”
“Everyone talks about who deserves recognition, but the reality is that both presidents deserve it. This initiative was successful precisely because it was popular,” added Rudman, citing “NYT.”
The information about the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas was announced on Wednesday by US President Joe Biden and the authorities of the intermediary state, Qatar. This is despite the fact that Hamas will release 33 hostages in the next six weeks in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from many areas of the Gaza Strip.
READ: Agreement with Hamas. There is Netanyahu’s announcement
Main photo source: White House / Zuma Press / Forum
