Biden hails Trump’s Gaza peace deal while attempting to take some credit as last 20 hostages are freed from ‘unimaginable hell’
Joe Biden praised Donald Trump for his success in negotiating a peace deal that allowed 20 Hamas survivors to return home.
But he also tried to get some credit for the massive deal by claiming his administration was laying the groundwork for Trump to negotiate.
‘The road to this agreement was not easy. My Administration has worked tirelessly to bring hostages home, provide aid to Palestinian civilians, and end the war,” Biden told X on Monday.
‘I commend President Trump and his team for their work to get a renewed ceasefire agreement across the finish line.
‘I am deeply grateful and relieved that this day has come; ‘For the last 20 surviving hostages who went through unimaginable hell and were eventually reunited with their families and loved ones.’
Biden also said he was very happy for the civilians who suffered immeasurable losses in Gaza and finally got the chance to rebuild their lives.
‘Now, with the support of the United States and the world, the Middle East is on the path to what I hope will be a lasting peace and a future of equal peace, dignity and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.’
Trump visited Israel on Monday to celebrate the return of 20 surviving hostages after helping broker a peace deal.
Former President Joe Biden praised Donald Trump for his success in negotiating a peace deal that allowed 20 Hamas survivors to return home
Supporters gathered in the streets to celebrate the hostages’ return home
Trump hailed as a hero in Israel as Israelis celebrate hostage release
He later spoke at a peace summit with global leaders, calling for a new era of harmony in the Middle East.
“We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put old fights and bitter hatreds behind us,” Trump said, and called on leaders to “declare that our future will not be governed by the fights of past generations.”
The whirlwind trip, which also included a summit in Egypt and a speech to the Knesset in Jerusalem earlier in the day, coincides with a fragile moment of hope for an end to the two-year war between Israel and Hamas.
‘Everyone said it wasn’t possible. And this will happen. And it’s happening right before your eyes,” Trump said alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
Nearly three dozen countries, including Europe and the Middle East, were represented at the summit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited, but his office declined, saying it was too close to a Jewish holiday.
Trump pledged to help rebuild Gaza and called on Palestinians to ‘turn away from the path of terror and violence once and for all’.
‘After tremendous suffering, death and hardship,’ he said, ‘now is the time to focus on rebuilding Israel’s people rather than trying to destroy them.’
Israeli lawmakers chanted Trump’s name and gave him a standing ovation. Some people in the audience wore red hats that resembled his “Make America Great Again” hats, but those versions said “Trump, President of Peace.”
Trump visits Israel on Monday to celebrate the return of 20 surviving hostages after brokering a peace deal
20 living hostages held by Hamas for more than two years were released this week after Trump’s deal
Trump speaks at Peace Summit and promises to help rebuild Gaza
But Trump also took the opportunity to blame former Democratic presidents for their failure to stabilize the region.
“All the countries in the Middle East could have done what we’re doing now, it could have happened a long time ago, but they were stifled and almost irreversibly hindered by the administrations of Barack Obama and then Joe Biden,” Trump said.
‘There was hatred towards Israel.’
‘No one wanted Joe Biden to come and speak, I guarantee that,’ he added.
Trump is only the fourth president to address the Knesset; Former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were also given this honor.
‘We had very poor management. “By far the worst president in the history of our country, and Barack Obama wasn’t far behind, by the way,” Trump said, referring to Biden.
Biden’s praise came in the form of an X post Monday evening
The 79-year-old president also attacked Obama for signing the Iran nuclear deal, which allowed America’s foe to expand its fledgling nuclear programs; According to US intelligence, Iran was also trying to build a nuclear bomb.
“The setbacks actually started when President Obama signed the Iran nuclear deal,” Trump said in his statement to the Knesset. ‘This was a disaster for Israel and a disaster for everyone.’
Trump’s former presidential rival Hillary Clinton also praised the agreement over the weekend.
“This is a really important first step, and I really appreciate Trump and his administration,” Clinton told CBS News.
