(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Donald Trump is allegedly working behind the scenes to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a cease-fire deal in Gaza ahead of Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Trump sent his incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to negotiate with Netanyahu on Saturday. Netanyahu’s staff were reportedly taken aback when Witkoff insisted on meeting on their Sabbath.
“Witkoff’s blunt reaction took them by surprise. He explained to them in salty English that Shabbat was of no interest to him. His message was loud and clear,” Haaretz reported Monday. “Thus in an unusual departure from official practice, the prime minister showed up at his office for an official meeting with Witkoff, who then returned to Qatar to seal the deal.”
Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Witkoff, praises Sheikh Mohammed, the Prime Minister of Qatar, for doing “God’s work” at the negotiating table.
Is he serious? pic.twitter.com/W3X6JpkUQv
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) January 13, 2025
Trump’s pressure tactics may be paying off. After his meeting, Witkoff told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he’s hopeful a deal will be sealed by next Monday. He praised mediators in Qatar for doing “God’s work,” adding that the deal should have been signed weeks ago.
The Associated Press further reported Tuesday that Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages. Mediators in Qatar said Israel and the Palestinian militant group were at the “closest point” yet to sealing a deal.
An Israeli official said progress has been made, but the details are being finalized. The plan would need to be submitted to the Israeli Cabinet for final approval.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent the past year trying to mediate an end the 15-month war and secure the release of dozens of hostages captured in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered it. Some 100 people are still captive inside Gaza, and the military believes at least a third them are dead.
Any deal is expected to deliver a pause in fighting and bring Israel and Hamas a step closer to winding down the most deadly and destructive war they’ve ever fought, a conflict that has destabilized the broader Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.
However, Netanyahu doesn’t appear to be pleased with the impending ceasefire. The prime minister has reportedly cancelled his plans to attend Trump’s inauguration. The news of the cancelation came after Trump posted a video in which economist Jeffrey Sachs tells Tucker Carlson about how Netanyahu pushed for regime change in Iraq, Syria and Iran.
Trump went from buying Greenland, to invading Panama to renaming the Gulf to casually dropping a 2 minute truth bomb on how Netanyahu was responsible for lying us into the Iraq War…. all in a 24 hour timespan.
It’s about to be a wild 4 years.
— Mel (@Villgecrazylady) January 8, 2025
“He’s still trying to get us to fight Iran to this day,” Sachs said. “He’s a deep, dark son of a bitch.”
Netanyahu allies are also reportedly mad at the incoming Trump administration. Yinon Magal, an Israeli talk show host, reportedly said that Trump is talking a big game while allowing terrorists to escape accountability.
“He talks about hell and, in the meantime, sends his envoy to sign a deal. It’s a deal whose impact will be very difficult. That’s the truth,” Magal said, as reported by antiwar.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
