Biden: We got here thanks to ‘the pressure Israel, backed by the US,’ built on Hamas; says it’s the ‘exact’ same deal from May
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President Joe Biden says the US-backed pressure on Hamas and weakening of the Iran-backed Axis of Resistance against Israel led the terror group to agree to today’s hostage release and ceasefire deal.
“We’ve reached this point because of the pressure that Israel built on Hamas, backed by the United States,” he says in a White House address announcing the deal. He highlights Israel’s October killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the killing of the terror group’s senior commanders along with thousands of its fighters, and the destruction of its military formations.
He recalls how the US twice helped Israel thwart missile attacks from “Hamas’ strongest supporter, Iran.”
Biden also boasts of having “shaped Israel’s strong and calibrated response, [which] destroyed Iran’s air defenses but avoided… an all-out war.” The president at the time publicly cautioned Israel against hitting Iranian nuclear or oil sites.
He also highlights the coalition that the US recruited to defend the Red Sea against Houthi attacks — a mission that hadn’t managed to curb continued Houthi missile attacks against Israel. The Yemeni rebels pledged to continue attacks until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.
Biden then highlights the significant weakening of another major Hamas backer, Hezbollah, which would go on to break its promise to continue striking Israel until the war in Gaza ended, and instead agreed to a ceasefire in November.
“The United States helped to shape and change the equation, and the terror network that once protected and sustained Hamas is far weaker. Iran is weaker. Iran is weaker than has been in decades,” Biden says.
In answer to a question, the president notes: “This is the exact framework of the deal I proposed back in May. Exact. And, we got the world to endorse it.”