When President-elect Donald J. Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Saturday to press him on a cease-fire agreement in Gaza, there was someone on the phone: Brett H. McGurk, President Biden's longtime Mideast negotiator.
It was a clear example of cooperation between two men who represented bitter political rivals whose relationship was best described as toxic. It is rare for current and incoming presidents from different parties to work together at such a critical time, with the fate of American life and the future of a devastating war hanging in the balance.
Both Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden came out and said that they are indebted for this success.
“This EPIC ceasefire was only possible because of our Historic Victory in November,” wrote Mr. Trump on his social media even before the deal was officially announced in the Middle East.
At the White House, Mr. Biden told reporters that his administration had worked tirelessly for months to convince both sides to stop fighting. He called it “one of the most difficult negotiations I've ever had” and gave credit to the “extraordinary team of American diplomats who worked non-stop for months to make this happen.”
When he left the room, the reporter asked Mr. Biden, “Who gets credit for this, Mr. President, you or Trump?” Mr. Biden stopped, turned and smiled.
“Is that a joke?” he asked.
But despite the tension between the current president and the next, their representatives in the Middle East have described a working relationship in the weeks since Election Day.
“Brett is leading,” Mr. Witkoff said last week at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump's Florida club, describing the partnership. That description was accurate on all accounts, even if it didn't match what Mr.
In fact, the threat of Mr. Trump's assertion that “all hell” will break loose if a deal is not reached before his inauguration on Monday may help motivate the Hamas leadership to make final decisions. But people familiar with the negotiations say Wednesday's announcement of an agreement to temporarily end the conflict in Gaza is the result of months of work by Mr.
Mr. Witkoff, 67, a dreamy real estate developer from the Bronx, has invested heavily in Qatar in the negotiations, knowing that whatever Mr. In fact, the 33 hostages to be released under the ceasefire may not see freedom until Inauguration Day or later. The ceasefire will expire six weeks later, unless phase 2 of the agreement is initiated.
By design, the aim was to send a unified message that the fighting must end and the hostages held by Hamas must be freed. One person familiar with the negotiations, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the negotiations, said Mr. McGurk was heavily involved in detailing the deal, while Mr. Witkoff was to clarify that Mr. agreement at the time of his inauguration.
The president-elect also placed initial restrictions on his dealings with Mr. Netanyahu – whose support Mr. Mr. Witkoff flew to Israel from Doha on Saturday – despite the Sabbath – to reinforce the message that Mr. Netanyahu should get on board.
The work of Mr. Witkoff, including a meeting with Mr. Netanyahu, helped Mr. McGurk and the Biden administration to put pressure on both sides during the talks, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
It was not at all clear that such a provision would work just days after Mr Trump won a second term.
He and Mr. The Bidens have not spoken in recent weeks, their already strong relationship strained by the Trump team's determination to purge White House staff and the Biden team issuing last-minute orders to fit into the new administration.
In his remarks on Wednesday, Mr. Biden acknowledged a certain level of cooperation and respect among his aides.
“This agreement was developed and negotiated under my administration, but its terms will be largely implemented by the next administration,” Mr. Biden told reporters. “These past few days, we've been talking as a team.”
But he again did not give credit to Mr Trump for helping the effort. On the other hand, the president-elect said he was “happy” that the American hostages would be released, but did not mention Mr. Biden or the work of the current administration.
“We have achieved a lot without being in the White House,” wrote Mr. “Just think of all the good things that will happen when I return to the White House, and my administration is fully vindicated, for more Victory for the United States!”
Both of these leaders left it to the workers to explain how they cooperated in the Gaza talks.
A person familiar with that effort said that the close relationship between Mr. McGurk and Mr Witkoff were part of the “incredibly efficient” process in which the Biden administration finalized the deal that would have been handled by the Trump administration.
That collaboration began shortly after Mr. Trump won the election and appointed Mr. Witkoff to be his ambassador in this region. Biden administration officials say they believe the momentum for the deal began earlier, when Mr. Biden helped broker a separate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. That alienated Hamas and helped convince the group that a ceasefire was in its best interest, according to Biden officials.
Source link
