‘This is really sad’: Trump attempts to claim responsibility for Israel-Gaza ceasefire
Joe Biden and his administration seems to have made one last ditch effort to help broker a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine. Donald Trump is taking credit for it.
Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone about Israel reaching an agreement to move forward with the ceasefire. This comes after Israeli soldiers refused to continue fighting in Gaza. According to a piece from BBC, Biden called Netanyahu on Sunday and “stressed the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and return of the hostages with a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by a stoppage in the fighting under the deal”.
For whatever reason, Trump (who was not on the call) has taken credit for the potential ceasefire deal. Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff also met with Netanyahu and, in the past, Trump said that “all hell would break loose” if the hostages were not released but the ceasefire comes with many criticizing Israel for their relentless bombing of Gaza. Amnesty International has concluded that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians.
Biden has been working since May to help Israel reach an agreement and bring forth a ceasefire and has, in recent weeks, pushed for it to be done prior to Trump taking office on January 20. With the news that a deal is getting closer though, Trump took credit without any proof that it was his doing.
Trump took to Truth Social to take credit for the release of the hostages. He wrote “We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly. Thank you!” Trump is not President of the United States and that was actually the work of the Biden administration. As X user Ed Krassenstein wrote, Trump taking credit for this “is really sad.”
Those close to the situation fear what will happen under a Trump administration
Anshel Pfeffer is an Israel correspondent and spoke with BBC’s Today Programme about the ceasefire and was less than hopeful. “We’ve been here so many times before,” he said. “There is a bit more room for optimism, but until there is an official announcement or a truce or ceasefire and we start seeing hostages coming out, I’m going to remain skeptical.”
Pfeffer went on to talk about the fear on the Palestinian side that under a Trump administration, Israel will have permission to continue to devastate Palestine. “There is a fear [from Hamas] that Trump will somehow give Israel permission to unleash devastation that hasn’t yet been unleashed on Gaza.”
Trump taking credit for something that has been in the work since May is not exactly that surprising. If the economy, which Trump ruined, suddenly gets better because of what the Biden administration did, he’s obviously going to take credit for that because that’s just what he does. Hopefully a deal is close and is beneficial to those hurt in Gaza.
The devastation in Gaza continues and any ceasefire deal needs to support the Palestinians and stop the continued bombing of its people.
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