As President-elect Trump and President Biden vie for credit for the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, some Republicans are wary of the deal and whether it will last.
“There is no part of me that trusts Hamas, or Hezbollah, or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, or Fatah, or the ordinary people who voted for Hamas,” said Florida Republican Rep. Brian Mast, the new House representative. The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee told Fox News Digital.
“There is no part of me that trusts them in any way. I am confident that there is a fear of God in them from the fact that President Trump, Secretary Rubio, Stefanik, and others are coming, [and] “What will not continue with programs like UNRWA,” he added, referring to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees. “I’m sure there’s a chilling effect, you know, on the way they see the world going forward. But there’s no part of me that trusts them in any way,” he added.
Asked if he was celebrating the same deal with some of his colleagues, Mast said: “I’m skeptical, like anything else.”
“If he brings the Americans home, I’m happy to bring the Americans home,” Mast continued. “That was a problem for me, you know, if there were Americans detained abroad, I would fully expect an American to come and arrest them. And for me, unfortunately, that was not the outcome.”
The ceasefire is intended as a means to repatriate the remaining hostages held by Israel and provide a path to peace for two million Palestinians living in a war zone since Hamas’ bloody attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. .
Trump promised there would be “hell to pay” if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas do not agree to a ceasefire by the time he takes office. (AP/Sebastian Scheiner)
The deal has implications for the United States: the seven hostages still in the clutches of Hamas are Americans.
“Why is lame duck Joe Biden trying to make a bad deal with Israel on his way out the door?” he asked. “The only deal should be the unconditional surrender of Hamas — which has already been almost destroyed — and the return of all the hostages,” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, wrote on X. “Instead, we are hearing reports that Biden is demanding that Israel “withdraw from the territories.” Home in Gaza, releasing dozens of extremist terrorists for every hostage, and only recovering some hostages?
Israeli reporting sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was the one who traveled to Doha, Qatar, and the powerful Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sit down to put the final touches on the deal that evaded the Biden administration’s mediation for the better. Part of last year.
The first ceasefire in November 2023 lasted only one week, and both sides accused the other of violating it. During that period, 105 hostages were released, in addition to 240 Palestinian prisoners.
Netanyahu postpones the vote on the ceasefire in Gaza and accuses Hamas of trying to renege on the agreement
Trump has promised that there will be “hell to pay” if a ceasefire is not reached by the time he takes office, which will be on January 20. Its delegates developed close relationships with Arab leaders in swing states like Michigan throughout the campaign. He promised that Trump would bring peace to the Middle East.
Senator Tom Cotton described the ceasefire as a “bad deal.” (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images/File)
Foreign Affairs Chairman Brian Mast, Republican of Florida, said he did not trust Hamas or the Palestinians to support the deal. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images/File)
Reaching a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas and releasing the hostages: “The Americans will be part of that”
The deal, brokered by Qatari negotiators, with mediation assistance from both the outgoing Biden administration and Witkoff, was concluded in three stages. It will see three hostages released on the first day – Sunday – with new hostages released every week. This phase will include the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Philadelphia Corridor on the Egyptian border and the so-called buffer zone in the Gaza territories adjacent to Israel.
Women, children and men over 50 will be prioritized initially. Over the course of the first phase, which will last 42 days, the remaining 33 Israeli hostages will be released in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
This group likely includes some who have been convicted of murder. On Thursday, Netanyahu postponed ratification of the agreement due to disagreements over whether he would have veto power over the release of prisoners convicted of murder. The Israeli Cabinet is scheduled to meet on Friday to ratify the agreement.
“This epic ceasefire agreement could only happen as a result of our historic victory in November, signaling to the entire world that my Administration will seek peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans and our allies,” Trump wrote. On social media.
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“My diplomacy has never stopped their efforts to get this done,” Biden said from the White House.
He added: “This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration.”