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
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    10 hours 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.

      • @lennybird
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        5 hours ago

        Not exactly thinking this through with any depth when the fallout is cementing the greater genocidal administration.

        Strange how Bibi and AIPAC wanted Trump to win. I’m shocked I tell ya.

          • @lennybird
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            5 hours ago

            Good sir/madam, I’m deflecting merely to the elephant in the room. Why focus on the little fish on the eve of the big fish entering office?

            Let’s just see how good Trump is for Palestinians going forward ;)

            Don’t forget to pat yourself on the back for this pyrrhic victory.

            • @[email protected]
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              15 hours ago

              You realize how the law works, yes? If I kill 10000 people, I can’t say to the judge “BUT LOOK THAT OTHER GUY WAS PLANNING TO KILL EVEN MORE”.

              Are you even human, I wonder. I really struggle to understand how someone with a mummy and a heart could stand so low in the scale of human decency. Are you that brainwashed you cannot recognize simple truth anymore? Funding extermination is bad. Do you understand?

    • @IndustryStandardOP
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      -79 hours 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
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        38 hours 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
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            35 hours ago

            So ultimately he was doing less than what Trump did do in his first term, and said he would do. Got it.

              • @lennybird
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                5 hours ago

                Oh I’m sure Trump will be far more amicable to the plight of Palestinians. Go tell tell them what you did! They’ll be so proud!

                You can live in this alternative fairy tale fantasy where we had some 3rd option; I’ll remain firmly planted in reality where there is a gradient of harm inflicted, and the election was a binary choice.

                Say how’d your vote for Stein go? Shucks, if only she had like 49% more votes… So close, right?

          • @lennybird
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            8 hours 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.