‘Broad’ support in Israel for Gaza ceasefire: US ambassador to Israel
US ambassador to Israel Jack Lew is the latest high-level official to express optimism about a possible ceasefire deal.
Speaking to Israel’s Army Radio, Lew said that there is “broad support” in Israel for a deal and that Netanyahu, despite some resistance from his government coalition, believes he can push it through.
Gaza ceasefire deal looks set to ‘happen very soon’: Ex-Israeli official
Alon Liel, the former director general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, says a ceasefire deal in Gaza “looks as if it’s going to happen very soon”.
“The feeling is that there is no choice this time,” he told Al Jazeera, speaking from Tel Aviv.
“We have to go along with it because the international pressure, or to be more exact – the American pressure – has doubled. It’s two presidents now working on it – it’s Biden and Trump together, putting the pressure … and it looks very effective on our right-wing government.”
There is a “big change” in Israel’s mood in recent weeks, and internal politics don’t appear to be an obstacle to completing a deal, Liel added.
Trump ‘driving’ Israel-Hamas ceasefire push
Israel and Hamas are closer than ever to reaching a ceasefire deal, progress that is largely due to the intervention of US President-elect Donald Trump, says Mohamad Elmasry, professor of media studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.
“The main difference here is the new variable that has entered the equation and that is Donald Trump … he is clearly the one driving this ceasefire,” Elmasry told Al Jazeera.
“There’s going to be a lot of hooting and hollering from the Biden administration about how they pushed this ceasefire through, assuming it comes to fruition, but the reality is this has been pushed by Trump,” he added.
Elmasry said Trump has been “very hard” on Netanyahu in recent days, citing a video Trump shared on his Truth Social platform of academic Jeffrey Sachs blasting the Israeli prime minister for his foreign policy vision.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/08/trump-video-crude-reference-netanyahu
“I think everyone now is fairly optimistic that we’re going to get across the finish line,” said Elmasry.
With the foreign policy appointments Trump made I doubt this ceasefire push is actually going to lead anywhere. It's another publicity stunt, but at least there should be some desperately needed aid coming in, hostages coming out and fewer massacres in Gaza. Meanwhile the situation in the West Bank keeps escalating.
The (limited) captive exchange might be close to getting over the finish line. I'm very doubtful the war will actually end. The destruction in Southern Lebanon didn't end with the US/France brokered ceasefire and it remains to be seen if Israel will actually withdraw from Lebanon by the 26th.
It feels more like a ploy to further downplay the 'genocide' label and call further military strikes and occupation part of a 'special military operation'. Turning the Westbank more into Gaza (infrastructure destruction), turning Gaza more into the Westbank (oppression policy)...
The Global South will need to step up as the West certainly isn't going to address the root causes of the cycles of violence.
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