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Arab officials say Trump’s team did more for hostage deal in a single meeting than Biden admin did in a year

David Brummer

(Photo by alex mihu on Unsplash)

(Photo by alex mihu on Unsplash)

Even Biden administration officials are admitting that it took President-elect Donald Trump wading into Israel-Hamas negotiations to close the deal and force a hostage release and cease-fire after 15 months of war, reported the New York Post.

Multiple insiders and officials in both Israel and the U.S. told The Post that it was Trump’s impending inauguration – combined with the efforts of his Middle East special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who finally solved a problem which had proved intractable for President Biden and his team.

A source with Trump’s transition team described the conversation last weekend between longtime Trump pal Witkoff and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “straightforward, no phony platitudes and very direct.”

Another official told Reuters: “Witkoff was able to pressure Netanyahu into accepting the deal and moving quickly. It’s that conversation that shifted everything into motion.”

Waltz: U.S. will back Israeli action in Gaza if Hamas breaks ceasefire

Incoming U.S. National Security Advisor Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., said on Wednesday the Trump administration will support renewed Israeli military action against Hamas in Gaza if the terrorist group violates the terms of the ceasefire, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.

“We’ve made it very clear to the Israelis, and I want the people of Israel to hear me on this – if they need to go back in, we’re with them. If Hamas doesn’t live up to the terms of this agreement, we are with them,” the Republican representative from Florida’s 6th District, whom President-elect Donald Trump tapped for the NSA role in November, told Fox News anchor Bret Baier.

“Hamas is not going to continue as a military entity and it certainly is not going to govern Gaza,” Waltz stressed.

Report: Two dual citizen U.S.-Israeli hostages thought to be released Sunday in first phase of deal

Five Israeli female soldiers will be released from Gaza on Sunday, coinciding with the first day of a planned ceasefire – according to a report by KAN news, a senior U.S. official announced Wednesday night.

The exchange will include Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, reported the Jerusalem Post.

The official also confirmed that two American citizens, Keith Siegel and Sagie Dekel-Chen, are set to be released during the initial phase of the agreement.

“I am disappointed that this agreement does not talk about all the hostages. It is unacceptable that the second phase is not defined in a way that shows when my son will be released from captivity,” Ruby Chen, the father of American-Israeli IDF Sgt. Itay Chen, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

Israel rebuffs Erdogan over Syria warning

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Israel must withdraw its forces from Syria or it will cause “unfavorable outcomes for everyone,” according to the Times of Israel.

“The aggressive actions of the forces attacking Syrian territory, Israel, in particular, must come to an end as soon as possible,” he said during a meeting of his party in Ankara.

“Everyone should take their hands off Syria and we, along with our Syrian brothers, will crush the heads of Islamic State, the YPG and other terrorist organizations in a short time.”

Israel in response warned Ankara against “unnecessary threats.”

“Israel completely rejects the Turkish president’s statement,” the Foreign Ministry said. “The aggressive imperialist actor in Syria (as well as in northern Cyprus, Libya, and other areas in the Middle East) is Turkey itself, and it is advisable for the Turkish president to avoid unnecessary threats. The State of Israel will continue to act to protect its borders from any threat.”

IDF preparing for hostages’ return in ‘Operation Wings of Freedom

Preparations have started for the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for 467 days, the Israel Defense Forces announced following President-elect Donald Trump’s confirmation that a deal had been reached in Qatar.

The name given to the preparations is “Operation Wings of Freedom,” or “Kanfei Dror” in Hebrew, the IDF said in a statement.

Trump announced on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire and hostage release deal during talks in Doha.

“This epic ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our historic victory in November, as it signaled to the entire world that my administration would seek peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans and our allies,” Trump wrote in a statement.

Palestinian PM says PA must govern post-war Gaza

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa asserted on Wednesday that the Palestinian Authority must be the sole governing power in Gaza once the ongoing war ends, reported The Media Line. His statement came as negotiations appeared close to securing a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Speaking at a conference in Norway, Mustafa emphasized the urgent need to finalize a truce in Gaza and permit greater humanitarian aid access for over two million people suffering through 15 months of conflict. Gaza’s future governance has become a central concern, with various parties debating whether Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, or another entity should assume power.

He underlined the significance of Norway’s recognition last year of a Palestinian state under the PA, describing it as a key step toward a two-state solution. However, Israeli authorities have rejected both Hamas and the PA as potential rulers of Gaza, accusing the latter of encouraging violence and cautioning that support for Hamas may overshadow a PA-led government.

Germany indicts islamic State member charged with Yazidi genocide

A high-ranking Islamic State member has been charged in Germany with war crimes and crimes against humanity, including aiding in the genocide of the Yazidi community, prosecutors announced Wednesday. The Media Line reported the suspect, identified as Ossama A., is a Syrian national accused of significant involvement in IS operations in Syria.

Prosecutors allege that Ossama A. joined IS in 2014 in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor region and led a local unit that confiscated 13 properties. These buildings were reportedly used as housing for fighters, office spaces, and storage facilities. Two properties served as prisons where captured Yazidi women were held, sexually abused, and exploited by IS members, the prosecutor-general’s office stated.

Last minute ceasefire snag? Hamas demands to cancel Israel’s right to veto prisoner release

The Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday morning reported the Hamas terrorist group is trying to backtrack after negotiators announced Wednesday that a ceasefire deal had been reached, reported Israel National News.

In an official statement, the Prime Minister’s Office detailed the issues Hamas is trying to backtrack on: “Among other things – in contradiction to the explicit section giving Israel the right to veto the release of mass murderers who are a symbol of terrorism, Hamas is demanding to dictate the identities of these terrorists.”

The statement comes hours after Qatar and the U.S. officially announced a deal had been reached.

Rubio: U.S. should be open to agreement with Iran, only under certain conditions

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla,. the incoming Trump administration’s nominee to be secretary of state, said at his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday that President-elect Donald Trump’s administration is open to a new nuclear deal with Iran, under strict conditions.

Over the course of his testimony, Rubio also framed the announcement of a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza and recent losses for Iran and its proxies in the region as creating an opportunity for major steps forward on regional normalization and Israeli-Palestinian peace, condemned the International Criminal Court’s targeting of Israel and spoke forcefully about the need to combat antisemitism globally, reported Jewish Insider.

“My view is that we should be open to any arrangement that allows us to have safety and stability in the region, but one in which we’re clear-eyed,” Rubio said on the subject of Iran’s nuclear program. “Any concessions that we make to the Iranian regime, we should anticipate they will use, as they have used in the past, to build their weapons systems and to try to restart their sponsorship of Hezbollah and other related entities around the region.”

Iran’s president to NBC: ‘We never tried to kill Trump

Iran did not plot President-elect Donald Trump’s assassination, President Masoud Pezeshkian told NBC, denying allegations by the U.S. Justice Department.

“All the assassinations and acts of terror we see happening in Europe and elsewhere, can we see the footsteps of Iranian nationals or other nationals?” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying in translated remarks in a video preview of the NBC News interview, according to Iran International.

“Have there been any links between those terrorist assassinations and Iran? Iran has never been in pursuit of assassination and acts of terror,” he added.

Asked by anchor Lester Holt in the interview in Tehran whether Iran had plotted to kill Trump, Pezeshkian replied: “Never by no means.”

Holt persisted, asking Pezeshkian if he would promise never to seek to kill Trump.

“Ever since the beginning, we never intended to do that,” Pezeshkian said.

The U.S. Justice Department in November unsealed murder-for-hire charges against an Afghan national it said was tasked by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with assassinating Trump.

Farhad Shakeri, 51, who is believed to be in Iran, was asked by an IRGC official “to put aside his other efforts on behalf of the IRGC and focus on surveilling, and, ultimately, assassinating (Trump)”, the department said.

Khamenei celebrates ceasefire as win for Hamas

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed on Thursday that Hamas was victorious in the war with Israel, citing the ceasefire announced on Wednesday., and reported in the Jerusalem Post.

“It will be written in books that there was a mob who once killed thousands of children & women in Gaza! Everyone will realize it was the patience of the people & steadfastness of Palestinian Resistance & Resistance Front that forced Zionist regime to retreat,” Khamenei wrote in both English and Hebrew on X/Twitter. “#GazaIsVictorious”

Similar sentiments were shared by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) who claimed the ceasefire in Gaza represents a “great victory” for the Palestinian resistance, according to a statement shared by the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Thursday.

Jewish Voice for Peace committed fraud to obtain COVID relief

Jewish Voice for Peace, the prominent Soros-backed anti-Israel group which has organized illegal protests attacking the Jewish state, committed federal loan fraud to obtain a six-figure COVID relief check, the Department of Justice announced.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, JVP falsely portrayed itself as a non-political group to obtain over $300,000 in federal paycheck protection funding, federal prosecutors said in a press release. It was forced to pay $677,634 to the federal government to settle the allegations under the False Claims Act.

The news comes as JVP faces suspensions on college campuses for organizing pro-Hamas rallies. Lawmakers have also called on the IRS to revoke JVP’s tax-exempt status, arguing that the group has supported illegal encampments at universities and “has a history of sharing antisemitic tropes, expressing support for violence and terrorism, and vilifying Zionism and Zionists.”

Just days after Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror attack, meanwhile, JVP organized an illegal protest in which activists infiltrated the Capitol and accused Israel of “genocide.”

Herzog calls for cabinet unity as Smotrich threatens to bolt coalition

In an address to the nation Wednesday evening, President Isaac Herzog urged members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet to approve the ceasefire and hostage release deal announced earlier between Israel and Hamas, declaring that he supported “the prime minister and the negotiating team for [their] efforts to reach a deal.”

Herzog stated that the deal was the “right” and “necessary move” and that “there is no greater moral, human, Jewish, or Israeli obligation than to bring our sons and daughters back to us — whether to recover at home, or to be laid to rest.”

“Let there be no illusions. This deal – when signed, approved, and implemented – will bring with it deeply painful, challenging, and harrowing moments,” he said. “It will also present significant challenges. This is not a simple situation; it is among the greatest challenges we have ever known.”

However, the deal met fierce resistance from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

In a statement, Smotrich, the chairman of the far-right Religious Zionism party, denounced what he described as a “bad and dangerous deal for the national security of the State of Israel.”

“Along with the great joy and excitement for the return of each and every kidnapped person, the deal reverses many of the achievements of the war,” he said, adding that these achievements were bought at the cost of Israeli blood.

He conditioned his party’s continued membership in the coalition on Israel restarting its campaign against Hamas until “complete victory” following the end of the deal.

Metropolitan Police threaten to arrest pro-Palestine activists failing to stick to newly agreed London demo route

The Metropolitan Police has threatened to arrest pro-Palestine activists failing to adhere to a new route set out for a march scheduled for this Saturday, London’s Jewish News reported.

Recognizing the disruption that a planned demo, set to begin close to Central Synagogue – would have had on Shabbat services, police have instructed demonstrators to instead form up in a different space and head on a new route ending in Whitehall, where the national memorial to the United Kingdom’s war dead is located.

They added: ”Anyone breaching the conditions, or inciting others to do so, is committing an offense. “The consequences for doing so include arrest.”

The statement followed claims Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal reportedly said his group would go ahead with its planned march from Whitehall to the BBC on Saturday, even if the police dispersed the crowd en route.

Ismail Patel, chairman of Friends of Al-Aqsa, who are also behind the march, said in a speech he would go to “prison” rather than agree to the change to the protest’s route.

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