Trump issues ultimatum on Gaza deal

Washington [US], January 17: US President-elect Donald Trump wants a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip completed before he takes office, while an Israeli minister threatens to quit the cabinet if the deal is signed.
In an interview with a podcast on January 16, US President-elect Donald Trump took credit for negotiating a ceasefire and hostage release between Israel and Hamas.
"We changed the course of it and we changed it quickly and obviously, it should be done before I'm sworn in. We shook hands, we signed some documents but it better be done," Trump said, according to The Times of Israel .
The deal was due to take effect on January 19, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a last-minute crisis with Hamas was delaying ratification. Mr Trump takes office on January 20.
Mr Trump said President Joe Biden had done nothing to help broker the ceasefire . "I don't want credit. I want those people out. We have to get them out. They've been in hell for three years," Mr Trump said of the hostages.
Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also expressed confidence that the agreement would be implemented from January 19.
Meanwhile, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir threatened to withdraw from the government along with his allies if the cabinet implements the deal. "If this irresponsible agreement is ratified and implemented, the Jewish Power Party will no longer be part of the government and will leave. If the war against Hamas resumes with greater intensity to achieve the unachieved war goals, we will return to the government," Ben Gvir said late on January 16, according to AFP.
Ben Gvir's party contributes 6 seats to Prime Minister Netanyahu's ruling coalition (68 seats). Ben Gvir and two other lawmakers from the same party are members of the cabinet. The minister made it clear that his party would not overthrow the government if he withdrew from the cabinet.
However, Mr Ben Gvir called on another far-right official, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, to withdraw from the cabinet. Mr Smotrich had previously said the ceasefire was dangerous for Israel's security.
Mr. Ben Gvir proposed stopping all humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip to force Hamas to release hostages instead of releasing Palestinian prisoners as in the agreement.
Prime Minister Netanyahu's Likud party issued a statement in response to Mr Ben Gvir, saying that anyone who removed the right-wing government would be forever disgraced.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper