President Joe Biden (C) delivers remarks on the recently announced cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas while joined by Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the Cross Hall of the White House on January 15, 2025, in Washington, D.C. | Source: Anna Moneymaker / Getty
A prominent Muslim civil rights and advocacy group credited President-elect Donald Trump for the ceasefire deal reached on Wednesday between the Hamas militant group and Israel that is expected to halt more than a year of conflict in Gaza that’s killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
At the same time, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) placed blame on President Joe Biden, who it said “cost lives by refusing to force ceasefire long ago.”
Referencing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, CAIR spoke out as Biden also gave Trump at least partial credit for the ceasefire in the latest demonstration of Democrats extending an apparent olive branch to a Republican faction that faces credible accusations of fascism.
“We welcome this long overdue ceasefire deal, which President Biden should have forced Netanyahu to accept over a year ago instead of needlessly funding so much death and destruction,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement. “We commend President Trump for pushing for a ceasefire deal and reportedly warning Netanyahu that Israel, too, would face consequences for continuing to refuse to make a deal.”
Awad appealed to Trump’s incoming administration to make sure the ceasefire stays in place before adding later: “The Biden administration’s legacy is soaked with the blood of countless Palestinian men, women, and children, as well as an untold number of captives who have also been killed in Israel’s indiscriminate bombing campaign with U.S. support.”
The support from CAIR comes despite Trump’s apparent Islamophobia and previously stated support for a “Muslim ban” in the U.S. as part of a broader immigration strategy that failed.
Trump, of course, quickly took sole credit for the ceasefire that was negotiated in part by Biden’s administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Their names were nowhere to be found as Trump falsely claimed victory for himself.
“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” Trump said in a statement released on his Truth Social network.
Trump’s statement contrasted with Biden’s, which said in part that the ceasefire was “the result not only of the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran — but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy. My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”
However, Biden did say that his administration had been working with Trump “For the past few days” and “speaking as one team.”
The ceasefire also includes nearby Egypt and Qatar.
The conflict in Gaza proved to be a major factor in the 2024 election, with a sizable faction of “uncommitted” voters who refused to cast ballots for Biden and his administration’s continued financial and diplomatic support of Israel and its “genocide” against Palestinians.
The decades-long conflict in Gaza flared back up in October 2023 when Hamas launched a deadly militant attack at a music festival in Israel. The ensuing violence included kidnappings on both sides. The terms of the ceasefire have provisions to bring those hostages home. It’s unclear how long the process will take for the ceasefire to take effect.
SEE ALSO:
1 Year Later: Palestinian Elections And How The Violence In Gaza Has Delayed Choosing New Leaders
Palestinians And Supporters At The DNC Have Been Told They Will Not Be Allowed To Speak: Report
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