Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew revealed that progress on a Gaza truce and a hostage release deal accelerated after the administrations of Joe Biden and Donald Trump joined forces to emphasise the urgency of the situation.
Lew’s 15 months as President Biden’s envoy overlapped with a war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, with a Palestinian Hamas attack on Israel followed by an Israeli assault on Gaza. He spoke on Tuesday before a deal was reached.
Lew, 69, will hand over the ambassador’s role to Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister and former Arkansas governor when Trump returns to the White House on Monday. He gave Reuters interviews in December and on Tuesday to mark the end of his tenure.
Administrations’ Cooperation
A Washington veteran and a Democrat, Lew said the bipartisan U.S. cooperation began right after the Republican Trump’s election as president two months ago. Lew said U.S. national interests were best served by what he called a “warm handoff” and a constructive transition.
“I think a lot of progress has been made. The fact that you have an outgoing and an incoming administration that has worked hand in hand to make the case for urgency, I think, has been noticed by all parties,” Lew said.
Lew credited Biden’s significant time commitment to the Gaza truce deal as his term neared an end and welcomed the engagement of Trump, who had said there would be “hell to pay” unless Hamas freed the hostages before he took over from Biden on Jan. 20.
“The fact that he (Biden) and the president-elect use different language in this case may create constructive tension because they have the same goal, and he (Trump) has used language that makes people say, ‘What’s going to happen next?’ If we were working at cross-purposes, it would be perhaps a different situation. But we’re not. There’s no daylight between what we’re trying to accomplish,” Lew said.
Despite sharp differences between their bosses that emerged during a bruising year in U.S. politics, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and Biden’s envoy Brett McGurk have worked along with mediators from Egypt and Qatar to close a long-elusive ceasefire deal that would include a release of hostages and of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Nominated before Hamas killed 1,200 people and abducted more than 250 by Israel’s count on Oct. 7, 2023, Lew arrived in Jerusalem a few weeks after Israel launched a subsequent Gaza assault in which Palestinian officials say more than 46,000 people have been killed.
US Support For Israel
Biden’s administration angered many of its own supporters over its backing for Israel in Gaza, where it provided not only weapons and material help but also diplomatic support against accusations of war crimes and genocide from countries opposed to the war. Israel and the United States deny the accusations.
But as Israel’s relentless campaign continued and Palestinian casualties mounted, U.S. unease over Israeli tactics turned to open calls for restraint. Relations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were strained to the limit.
Asked if he was satisfied Israel was doing enough to ensure a minimum of civilian deaths in Gaza, Lew said: “You know, we have an awful lot of questions that we’ve asked, some of which have been answered, some of which will take time to answer.”
He said Israeli policies were designed to limit civilian harm but mistakes were made in every war, and Israel at the highest level had reassured the U.S. that if mistakes were made, people would be held accountable.
Lew, who like Biden favours a peace deal envisaging a future Palestinian state next to Israel, was cautious in assessing his relationship with Netanyahu, who steadfastly opposes a Palestinian state.
“I felt very comfortable saying things where I disagree and offering views that I think are in the best interest of how to achieve the shared goal. I don’t know what they say when I leave the room, but nobody’s unpleasant to me. They don’t not invite me back,” Lew said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
