Gaza ceasefire Live News: Disputes end Israeli cabinet vote on deal

Each president had his own interest in settling the matter before inauguration day. For Mr. Biden sees the deal, if it holds, as a final vindication of his watch, what he hopes will be the end of the deadliest war in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while freeing Americans as well as Israelis from captivity. For Mr. Trump is taking the deal off the table for now, a major issue, as he opens a second term, freeing him to pursue other priorities.

The dramatic development, just five days before the transition of power in the United States, cut against the natural grain of Washington, where presidents of opposing parties rarely work together during a transition, even in the face of a major crisis. But the political planets soon returned to their normal orbits as both sides argued over who deserved credit for resolving the conflict.

While Mr. Biden was waiting for the official message to come from the region, Mr. Trump jumped on him by revealing the deal himself in a post on social media. “This EPIC ceasefire agreement could only have happened as a result of our historic victory in November,” he added shortly after.

When Mr. Appearing for White House cameras later in the afternoon, Biden was more gracious, noting that the two teams spoke with one voice. But he bristled when asked who deserved credit, him or Mr. Trump. “Is this a joke?” he asked.

Still, the partnership stood out in an era of deep polarization, awkward and prickly as it was. “It’s really extraordinary,” said Mara Rudman, deputy envoy for Middle East peace under President Barack Obama. “Everybody talks about who gets credit, but the fact is it’s shared, and part of the reason it worked is because it’s shared.”

That is not to say that it would lead to sustained synergy on this or any other issue. “This was a case where the right thing to do also aligned with people’s best political interests,” said Rudman, now a researcher at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.

However credit is ultimately shared, diplomats, officials and analysts said it seemed clear that both presidents had played important roles. The agreement that was eventually adopted was essentially the same as Mr. Biden had put it on the table last May, and as his emissaries, led by Brett H. McGurk, his Middle East coordinator, had worked painstakingly to make it acceptable to both sides.

At the same time, Mr. Trump’s imminent return to power and his fierce threat that “all hell will break loose” if the hostages were not released when he was sworn in clearly indicated the warring parties’ calculations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the recipient of so much support from Mr. Trump in his first term, could not take for granted that the new president would support him if he extended the war in his second term.

In fact, it was telling that Mr. Netanyahu, who goes by the nickname Bibi, called Mr. Trump only to thank him after the deal was announced and only then called Mr. Biden. In a statement, Mr. Netanyahu expressed his gratitude to Trump “for his remarks that the United States will work with Israel to ensure that Gaza will never be a terrorist haven.” Mr. Biden was not mentioned until the fourth episode and only in a single sentence that “also” thanked him for his help.

Mr. Trump’s desire to force a deal went beyond his trademark public threats and extended to constructive assistance on the ground. He authorized Steve Witkoff, his longtime friend whom he selected as special envoy for the Middle East, to work with Mr. McGurk to pressure the negotiators to close the deal. Mr. McGurk and his team were happy to have the help and used Mr. Witkoff’s support as leverage.

“This was Biden’s deal,” former Rep. Tom Malinowski, Democrat of New Jersey, wrote on social media“but as much as I hate to say it, he couldn’t have done it without Trump — not so much Trump’s performative threats against Hamas, but his willingness to tell Bibi straight up that the war would end on January 20.”

There were some Republicans who were willing to praise Mr. Biden for his efforts to make the agreement together with Mr. Trump. “It’s good to see the Biden administration and the Trump Transition working together to get this deal done,” Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina wrote on social media.

Few transitions have seen such a moment of intersecting interests. In the throes of the Great Depression, defeated President Herbert Hoover tried to engage President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt to team up to solve a banking crisis, only to be rebuffed by an incoming leader who did not want to be tied to his predecessor .

A more hauntingly haunting example came 44 years ago, when President Jimmy Carter worked until the final hours of his presidency to free 52 American hostages held in Iran without the help of his successor, future President Ronald Reagan. In fact, some evidence has emerged to suggest that people around Mr. Reagan tried to dissuade Iran from releasing the hostages before the election, fearing it would help Mr. Carter, although official investigations never confirmed it.

Mr. Carter ultimately struck a deal to free the hostages, but in a final affront, Iran held back the planes carrying the Americans until moments after Mr. Reagan was sworn in on January 20, 1981. That memory was not lost on Mr. Biden’s team in recent weeks, especially after Mr. Carter’s death last month. In recent days, administration officials and their allies had morbidly pondered the possibility of history repeating itself.

The upcoming change in political leadership in the United States was not the only factor driving the negotiations on the war in Gaza. The situation on the ground has changed dramatically since Mr. Biden first offered his proposal for a ceasefire in May.

Meanwhile, Israel has beheaded Hamas’ leadership, nearly destroyed its allied militia Hezbollah in Lebanon, and taken out key military facilities in Iran. A Biden-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon left Hamas without another front against Israel, further isolating it. And the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria only reinforced the weakness of Iran and its allies and proxies.

But the looming Inauguration Day in Washington created a new actionable deadline that was hard to ignore. Mr. Trump said little during the campaign about the war, but when he did, he made it clear that he was not happy about it and called on Israel to end it as soon as possible because the heartbreaking images of death and destruction in Gaza were damaging Israel’s reputation the international scene.

Furthermore, Mr. Trump’s relationship with Mr. Netanyahu has evolved since his first term, when he presented himself as the Israeli leader’s staunch ally. Mr. Trump cut aid to the Palestinians, moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognized Israeli authority over the Golan Heights and presided over diplomatic openings between Israel and several of its Arab neighbors.

But their bond soured in Mr. Trump’s last year in office, when he perceived that Mr. Netanyahu took advantage and they were further aggravated when the Prime Minister congratulated Mr. Biden with a victory in the 2020 election, which Mr. Trump still denies. Mr. Netanyahu has worked hard in recent months to make amends with Mr. Trump.

As for Mr. Biden, has his own relationship with Mr. Netanyahu has been strained since the days shortly after the Hamas-led terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, when he flew to Israel and hugged the Israeli leader on the tarmac. Biden advisers and allies have suspected that Mr. Netanyahu deliberately held out on a cease-fire agreement to hand victory to Mr. Trump in an attempt to overwhelm him.

Mr. Biden said nothing about it during his televised remarks Wednesday. But after 15 months of trying to manage the crisis in the Middle East and avert a wider regional war, he appeared relieved to see an end coming.

“I am deeply pleased that this day has come, finally, for the sake of the people of Israel and the families who are waiting in agony and for the innocent people of Gaza who suffered unimaginable destruction because of the war,” said Mr. Biden said.

He referred to the collaboration with Mr. Trump without mentioning him by name. “I also want to note that this agreement was developed and negotiated during my administration,” said Mr. Biden, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. “But its terms will mostly be implemented by the next administration. For the last few days, we’ve been speaking as one team.”

Asked about Mr. Trump’s role noted Mr. Biden said the cease-fire was “the exact framework of the deal I proposed back in May” and claimed credit for giving Israel the support it needed to weaken Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. “I knew that this agreement would have to be implemented by the next team,” he added, “so I told my team to coordinate closely with the incoming team to make sure we’re all speaking with one voice because that’s what American presidents do . . .

Mr. Trump did not mention the role of his predecessor’s team and left the impression in his social media posts that he had delivered the deal himself.

“We’ve accomplished so much without even being in the White House,” he wrote. “Imagine all the wonderful things that will happen when I return to the White House and my administration is fully confirmed to secure more victories for America!”