The White House is downplaying prospects of a cease-fire in Gaza before Joe Biden leaves office, undercutting Biden's hopes of salvaging his tarnished presidential legacy.
Biden has weeks left to secure an agreement to end the conflict and release hostages in Hamas captivity, but national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC that a deal is "not there yet," suggesting Biden could leave office empty-handed.
"We are working actively to try to make it happen. We are engaged deeply with the key players in the region, and there is activity even today," Sullivan said.
In Gaza, Hamas is still holding dozens of Israelis captive more than a year after the terror group murdered 1,200 Israelis on October 7, 2023.
While a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah has lifted Biden's hopes of a broader peace in the Middle East, Sullivan conceded that an end to war in the region remain very much in doubt.
Just a day after Israel fired on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, Sullivan was left doing damage control.
"We need to protect it [the cease-fire] and ensure that it is fully implemented," he said.
As for the possibility of peace in Gaza, Sullivan was equivocal.
"There will be further conversations and consultations, and our hope is that we can generate a ceasefire and hostage deal, but we're not there yet."
In a social media post Monday, President-elect Donald Trump demanded an immediate release of the Israeli hostages, showcasing the tough diplomacy that he deployed effectively in his first term.
In his post, Trump rebuked the current efforts to rescue the hostages as "all talk, no action."
"Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity," Trump wrote.
It is understood that President-elect Trump wants the war in Gaza to be over before he assumes office on January 20th, but Hamas' unwillingness to release hostages has been a major roadblock.
While Trump applies pressure on Hamas terrorists, the Biden administration is continuing with its failed, conciliatory approach. In an interview with CBS, Sullivan suggested Hamas would set the terms of a peace deal.
"I think the key actor right now holding the vision on the ceasefire is Hamas,” he told CBS. “And the key thing motivating Hamas is not American politics or the American presidential transition. It’s their determination about whether or not it makes sense for them at this point, after Hezbollah has abandoned them, after their leader has been killed, after their military formations have been degraded, to finally say yes to a ceasefire and hostage deal.”
