Trump Claims Credit for Gaza Ceasefire... "Fully Deserves It"

Trump: "Made Possible by My Election Victory"
Middle Eastern Negotiation Teams: "Trump's Envoy Played a Major Role"

On the 15th (local time), residents of the Gaza Strip in Palestine waved the Palestinian flag joyfully following the ceasefire declaration between Israel and Hamas. Photo by UPI·Yonhap News

As a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was dramatically achieved, controversy has arisen with President-elect Donald Trump claiming the ceasefire as his own achievement. The Biden administration stated that the mediation efforts since the outbreak of the conflict have borne fruit, but President-elect Trump insists that the Middle East envoy he dispatched paved the way for the breakthrough in the ceasefire.

Negotiators in the Middle East who were actually involved in the ceasefire talks acknowledge the contributions of Trump's Middle East envoy. They say he simplified the complex ceasefire issues and succeeded in swiftly bringing about the ceasefire. However, there is also a cautious view that it remains to be seen how well the rapidly concluded ceasefire agreement will be implemented going forward.

Ceasefire took effect the day before Trump’s inauguration... "Made possible by my historic victory"

Reuters Yonhap News

On the 15th (local time), immediately after the announcement of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, President-elect Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, "This historic ceasefire agreement was only made possible because of our historic election victory last November," adding, "This is just the beginning of great things to happen for the United States and the world. We achieved so much even before entering the White House."

He continued, "President Joe Biden did nothing in this negotiation," emphasizing, "I'm not seeking credit. I just want to save people. We must rescue the hostages." Since his election victory last year, President-elect Trump has maintained the position that Steve Witkoff, the Middle East peace envoy he dispatched, fully led the ceasefire negotiations.

On the other hand, President Biden said at a White House press conference, "My diplomacy has never stopped once to make this happen," adding, "This is not only due to the changing Middle East situation caused by the crisis facing Hamas and the weakening of Iran but also the result of persistent and arduous American diplomacy." He further emphasized, "This negotiation was developed and carried out by my administration but will mostly be implemented by the next government. Over the past few days, we have worked as one team." While acknowledging some help from President-elect Trump's side, the credit fundamentally belongs to the Biden administration.

Middle Eastern negotiation teams: "Trump’s envoy played a bigger role than Biden"

On the 15th (local time), U.S. President Joe Biden and senior officials held a press conference at the White House, discussing the progress of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Photo by EPA and Yonhap News

Negotiators on the ground in Israel and the Middle East acknowledge that President-elect Trump and Envoy Witkoff played a very significant role in achieving the ceasefire. The Times of Israel quoted Middle Eastern diplomatic officials saying, "Envoy Witkoff made great efforts to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire before President-elect Trump's inauguration," adding, "Envoy Witkoff met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only once and reversed his opposition to the ceasefire, which is more than what the Biden administration has done this year."

They continued, "President-elect Trump strongly pressured Prime Minister Netanyahu through Envoy Witkoff and thwarted all plans to delay the negotiations. Only two choices remained: whether to accept the ceasefire or not," adding, "Ultimately, Prime Minister Netanyahu shifted to the ceasefire negotiation side due to concerns about reduced U.S. military support after Trump took office."

Experts in the U.S. also see that President-elect Trump's side played a major role in achieving the ceasefire. Dennis Ross, a diplomat who handled Middle East peace issues during the Barack Obama administration, acknowledged in an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that "the Trump effect was definitely there," while explaining, "The Biden team should also be credited for basically helping to close the deal."

However, it remains uncertain how well Israel and Hamas will implement the ceasefire agreement. According to Al Jazeera, Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have continued even after the ceasefire announcement, with at least 73 people reported dead. The British daily The Guardian reported, "The current ceasefire plan consists of three phases, and it is uncertain whether a complete ceasefire and the exchange of hostages and prisoners over six weeks will be properly implemented." It also pointed out, "Due to deep mistrust between Israel and Hamas, the possibility of the ceasefire breaking down is very high."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.