White House official credits Biden's 'persistence' for Mideast ceasefire deal
Source: ABC News
January 19, 2025, 2:03 PM
White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer acknowledged "significant support" from President-elect Donald Trump's team to secure the ceasefire and hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas in an interview Sunday on ABC News' "This Week."
The bulk of implementing the deal is expected after Trump takes office on Monday, which Finer said President Joe Biden's administration was conscious of. "They're fully up to speed, and we have been as transparent and supportive as we can as we hand this off," he said.
But while Finer praised the Trump team's cooperation, he told "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl that it was his boss' "persistence" that saw the deal through. "But ultimately, at the end of the day, it was our team that was in the driver's seat for the negotiations directed by President Biden with their support," he said.
The interview came minutes before the first three Israeli hostages were released from captivity in Gaza, the first step in the implementation of a ceasefire deal that also involves the freeing of Palestinian prisoners.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-official-credits-bidens-persistence-mideast-ceasefire/story?id=117826766