A “tense” weekend meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and incoming Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff led to a breakthrough in the hostage negotiations, with the top aide to US President-elect Donald Trump doing more to sway the premier in a single sit-down than outgoing President Joe Biden did all year, two Arab officials told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.

Witkoff has been in Doha for the past week to take part in the hostage negotiations, as mediators try to secure a deal before Trump’s January 20 inauguration. On Saturday, Witkoff flew to Israel for a meeting with Netanyahu at the premier’s Jerusalem office.

During the meeting, Witkoff urged Netanyahu to accept key compromises necessary for an agreement, the two Arab officials on Monday told The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity. Neither Witkoff nor Netanyahu’s office responded to requests for comment.

  • lennybird@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    As I said, truly remarkable you trust Arab figures speaking on anonymity and Donald Trump’s word for what he supposedly did.

    Tell me, did he “do the weave”? Lmao.

    Forgetting you sourced Times of Israel. What a gem. What’s next, RT?

    What a colosally flimsy house of cards to build the hill you’re choosing to die on.

    • IndustryStandard@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      You do not understand what the source means.

      Israelis are mad about the ceasefire. They are angry at Trump. You just admitted that Biden forcing a ceasefire would earn him criticism from Israel.

      Netanyahu is trying to wiggle out of the ceasefire with his classic lies and Trump will not let him. Biden would gladly blame Hamas for another twelve rounds of failed negotiations like he has done for the past year.

      • lennybird@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        No, I said Biden restricting weapons would earn him criticism from Israel, as well as domestically. Huge difference.

        To reiterate the dodged points:

        • Circular Reasoning Fallacy: We have yet to establish that Trump had anything to actually do with the ceasefire beyond unreliable sources, speaking from anonymity, cited by yet another unreliable source controlled by the PM who sought Trump’s reelection in the first place.

        • Given both Bibi and Trump’s propensity for showboating, this is all political theatrics to make Trump look good. If I was a piece of shit like them, I’d do the same thing.

        • A ceasefire is utterly meaningless by this point anyway. If you haven’t noticed, Trump told Bibi to “Finish the job,” and Bibi pretty much did. There isn’t much left in gaza to cease firing upon in the first place. The damage is done.

        Trump and Bibi are closer than Bibi and Biden. If you can’t grasp this, you will in time.

        • IndustryStandard@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Trump and Bibi are closer than Bibi and Biden. If you can’t grasp this, you will in time.

          Nobody and I mean absolutely nobody is closer to Netanyahu than Joe BIden. And if you do not know this you do not know anything about Joe Biden.

          • lennybird@lemmy.world
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            1 day ago

            Oh? When did Biden say to Bibi, “Finish the job.”? In addition to providing arms to Israel over the course of Trump’s first term, he also moved the embassy to Jeruselum. Did Biden do that? No siree.

            If you weren’t aware, they had a falling out over the course of 2024 with reports indicating this as early as February. Before that I might be inclined to agree, Trump’s lack of moral character notwithstanding.

              • lennybird@lemmy.world
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                1 day ago

                So he did not say that, or move the embassy to Jeruselum and merely continued the same track, as I had already said and without any sort of rebuttal, considering the a) damage to Democrats and b) Trump reversing course the second he gets into office anyway.

                Moot.

                My points still stand.