Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump claimed the success of the agreement between Israel and Hamas, although each had different reasons to be proud of the outcome.
On the day that what could be the beginning of the end of the war between Israel and Hamas was celebrated, another war broke out, this time in the United States of America (USA) but, in this case, a war of words. The protagonists are the current and future American presidents, Joe Biden and Donald Trump. At stake is who was most decisive in the ceasefire agreement in the Middle East.
“We have a deal for hostages in the Middle East. They will be released soon. Thank you!”, wrote Donald Trump on his social network, Truth Social, even before the US president announced the peace plan. The president-elect wasted no time in thanking everyone, stating that this result was only achieved thanks to the “historic” results of the November 2024 presidential elections, which allowed him to return to the White House.
Later, accompanied by the US Vice President, Kamala Harris, and the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken – who visited the Middle East on several occasions with the aim of establishing bridges between the parties -, Biden retreated to May 2024 to state that it was his proposed agreement that made it possible to end the war between Israel and Hamas. “The aspects of this agreement were presented in detail in May, and were supported by countries around the world and, in a majority, by the UN Security Council”, said Biden on Wednesday night.
Joe Biden, outgoing US president, delivers a speech on the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, on January 15, 2025. (Getty Images)
Trump’s “important hand” for the ceasefire
Joe Biden “confirmed that he is always a Tweet behind, almost seeming to be out of time when making a statement after the future president” of the USA, says Azeredo Lopes, commentator for CNN Portugal, adding that he is certain “that there is an important hand of Donald Trump in this agreement” since the future president wants “to reach the inauguration and say that he managed to achieve peace, something that Biden had not achieved”.
In November 2024, Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s envoy for the Middle East, assumed a decisive role in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas, which had been going on for months. Without any diplomatic experience, Witkoff was chosen by the president-elect to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept concessions that would allow the war in Gaza to end.
“When you are talking to Israel, you cannot just present democracy and show a lack of capacity to impose harsh measures, as Biden did over the last few years, in which he lost all respect from Benjamin Netanyahu”, says Azeredo Lopes. “Trump’s much more aggressive and populist style are characteristics that were favorable to him, in addition to being deeply averse to conflict”, he adds.
the negotiation of the ceasefire, which aimed at the release of hostages, faced several difficulties, mainly due to resistance from Netanyahu, who tried to guarantee the permanence of Israeli troops in Gaza. Although President Biden drafted the ceasefire agreement in May – as he himself made a point of mentioning – it may have been Trump’s direct intervention that sealed the pact.
“It is not known how, but Trump threatened Hamas with an action that would take place in Gaza, probably of a military nature. He clearly scared the group”, adds ambassador Francisco Seixas da Costa, who does not rule out the possibility that there was also “pressure on the Israeli government, in order to encourage some reasonableness”.
After winning the 2024 elections, Trump intensified negotiations, making it clear that he wanted the conflict to end before taking office on January 20. Witkoff, with the support of the former president, spoke directly to Netanyahu, demanding that the deal be reached as quickly as possible.
“Almost unprecedented” collaboration
Speaking to CNN International, a senior Biden administration official admitted that the agreement had been reached thanks to an “almost unprecedented” collaboration between the current administration and the one that will begin on January 20.
The partnership began when President-elect Donald Trump’s envoy arrived in the capital of Qatar to help in the final phase of negotiations, where Brett McGurk, President Joe Biden’s longtime Middle East negotiator, was already present.
“It doesn’t seem like a coincidence to me that the agreement was reached only when Trump’s envoy arrived at the negotiations in Qatar. This factor shows that Trump clearly played an important role, as he needed to have a great moment before his inauguration in a few days”, says Azeredo Lopes.
The authorship of the agreement is, in fact, a complex topic. While it was the Biden administration that initiated the negotiations, including a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, that set the stage for the conclusion of the deal, Trump also played a crucial role, pushing for the resolution to be reached before his inauguration. , after many attempts by the outgoing president.
“The presidential styles between Biden and Trump are very different. Biden, contrary to popular belief, leaves the world much more tense and aggressive than when he received it”, argues Azeredo Lopes, adding that “the sale of weapons by the Biden administration to Israel, worth eight billion dollars, made Netanyahu feel comfortable in negotiations.”
Also regarding the Biden administration, Ambassador Francisco Seixas da Costa argues that
After the elections, both leaders reportedly agreed that the hostage issue should be resolved even before January. The process was particularly complicated by Hamas’ refusal to reveal the exact number of hostages it held, which delayed negotiations. However, under pressure from mediators including the United States and Israel, Hamas eventually provided the list, allowing the deal to finally be concluded.
The last negotiations took place in Doha, with those involved working until late in the morning to finalize the details. When Netanyahu learned of the conclusion, he chose to call first Trump and then Biden to thank them both for their contribution.
The agreement will, apparently, come into force next Sunday, the day on which the first hostages will be released, on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the USA.
