President-elect Donald Trump is said to be hoping to secure an Israel-Gaza ceasefire before he takes office.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina confirmed the incoming president’s position in an Axios interview. Graham advises Trump on foreign policy and has just returned from a trip to the Middle East, where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Graham says Trump “wants a deal to free the hostages and end the war as soon as possible, preferably before he takes office,” Axios reported.
“Trump is more determined than ever to release the hostages and supports a ceasefire that includes a hostage deal,” Graham told Axios. “He wants to see it happening now.”
“I want people in Israel and in the region to know that Trump is focused on the hostages issue. He wants the killing to stop and the fighting to end.”
There are currently 101 hostages in Gaza, including seven American citizens. However, it is not known how many are still alive. President Joe Biden has declared his intentions to secure a deal before he leaves office but little to no recent progress suggests Trump could wind up steering the operation.
It’s important the former president quickly reaches a deal, Graham said, so Trump can focus on other matters at hand like Israel-Saudi normalization and the regional alliance against Iran. Graham has objected to proposals for an indefinite Israeli occupation of Gaza, the outlet reported.
Israel Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has claimed that with Trump’s re-election, the country has an opportunity for voluntary immigration out of Palestine that could deplete the Palestinian population.
To that, Graham said: “I think he should talk to Trump and hear what he wants. If you haven’t spoken to him, I wouldn’t put words in his mouth.”
Still, he added that a peace deal would not include a reoccupation of Gaza.
“The best insurance policy against Hamas is not an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza but a reform in the Palestinian society. The only ones who can do that are the Arab countries,” he said.
The senator said he believes a ceasefire will be easily accomplished with Trump at the helm because world leaders fear him.
“If you are a bad guy and you are not afraid of Trump then you are also a dumb guy,” he continued. “Bad and dumb guys don’t last long.”
In a phone call on Tuesday, Biden told Netanyahu he wants to reach a deal after the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. Netanyahu told the president “he wants to try,” Axios wrote.
Karoline Leavitt, a Trump spokesperson, told the outlet “The American people trust him to lead our country and bring stability and peace back to the Middle East.”
“When he returns to the White House, he will take the necessary action to do just that.”
A Hamas delegation is heading to Cairo to discuss ideas for a hostage and ceasefire deal with Egyptian officials.
