Israel and Hamas have agreed to an agreement – in three different phases – on a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
The agreement that has now been accepted is based on the proposal that the Biden administration presented in May and that has been negotiated since then.
Both Joe Biden and US President-elect Donald Trump – who has warned that “all hell will break loose” if the hostages are not released before his inauguration – now takes the credit for the temporary truce.
– The ironic reality is that in a time of increased partisan political polarization, even in foreign policy, the agreement symbolizes how much more powerful and influential American foreign policy can be when it consists of two parties, says Jonathan Panikoff of the Atlantic Council think tank to AP.
Intensive negotiations
Israel’s delegation and Hamas representatives are said to have been on two different floors of the same building and negotiated through mediators.
It was in the final stages of 96 intense hours of negotiations in the Qatari capital of Doha that US, Egyptian and Qatari officials finally persuaded the parties to conclude the agreement, according to Reuters.
Leading the American side was Brett McGurk, chief negotiator in the Israel-Hamas talks and Biden’s Middle East envoy. He is also the one who has drawn up a draft of the agreement, according to AP.
“Very clear”
But also present at the negotiating table in Doha was real estate investor Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s golf partner and incoming envoy to the region.
A senior official in the Biden administration states for Reuters that Witkoff’s involvement in the final stages was crucial for the agreement to be reached.
– Witkoff was very clear that President-elect Trump wants this done before Monday afternoon. It was that force that finally persuaded Netanyahu to bring his government coalition parties along, says Michael Sahlin, diplomat and Sweden’s former ambassador to Turkey, to SVT Nyheter.
In recent weeks, Witkoff reportedly met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, another important mediator.