US President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration is a major reason why a Gaza truce is closer than ever to being signed, a former Israeli diplomat said on Tuesday.
After more than 15 months of war, hopes are rising that Israel and Hamas will agree to a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel – just days before Trump returns to the White House.
“The tragic thing is… this deal was there for the taking for months,” Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli consul general in New York, told CNN.
“And yet somehow it didn’t happen for political reasons: (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s political calculations to prolong the war and Hamas’ reluctance to accept some of the key ingredients in the deal.
Last week, Trump warned that if hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are not released by his inauguration on January 20, “all hell will break out in the Middle East” – a stark indication of how much the incoming president would prefer to avoid inheriting the Israel-Hamas war as he prepares to take office.
Netanyahu met with Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Saturday, and is facing pressure from both the current and incoming US administrations to reach a deal.
Witkoff and Biden’s Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk, who are both currently in the region, have been working together in recent days with mediators to try to resolve some of the last remaining sticking points to reach a deal, sources told CNN. The two US envoys have also held joint phone calls with Netanyahu.
A source with knowledge of the ceasefire-hostage talks told CNN Monday that Trump is the incentive for Israel to strike a deal with Hamas. The source said Netanyahu “wants to remain close to Trump.”
