Olusegun Ariyo
The outgoing U.S. President, Joe Biden and the incoming President, Donald Trump, have both claimed credit on Wednesday for a Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal that was months in the making but was helped across the line by a Trump envoy.
While announcing the ceasefire, Biden said that the final deal largely mirrored the framework of a proposal he made back in May.
When asked who the history books will credit for the ceasefire, Biden said it was negotiated by his team.
“Is that a joke? This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration. That’s why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed,” Biden said.
In a post on social media, Trump was quick to claim a measure of credit for the breakthrough that came after months of stalled negotiations.
He had repeatedly warned that there would be hell to pay if a deal was not made by the time he took office on Monday.
“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signalled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans and our Allies,” he said.
Trump had dispatched his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to join the negotiations in Doha, and Witkoff was there for the last 96 hours of talks leading up to the deal.
A senior official of the Biden administration, in a briefing with reporters, credited Witkoff with helping deliver the deal, working alongside Biden’s envoy, Brett McGurk, who has been in Doha since January 5.
Meanwhile, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said Biden had wanted the Trump team involved because Trump will be tasked with implementing the ceasefire deal.
“In these past few days, we have been speaking as one team,” Biden said.
