SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – “It’s gone on for so long… there will be some who will think that’s just taking far too long and too much terrible, terrible suffering has occurred,” said UC Berkeley political scientist Henry Brady in a discussion about the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
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Brady joined KCBS Radio’s Doug Sovern, Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart on “The State of California” Wednesday, the day the ceasefire was announced. In particular, they focused on how the deal might impact the legacy of President Joe Biden, who has just days left in office before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in.
Per the Associated Press, Israel and Hamas agreed to pause fighting in the war that began in October 2023, following a Hamas terrorist attack on a music festival in Israel that killed more than 1,000 people. Since the war began, an estimated 46,707 Palestinians have been killed, including 18,000 children, according to Al Jazeera, which said the death toll is equal to around one out of every 50 people in Gaza. Additionally, the outlet said that more than 100,000 people have been injured.
With the ceasefire, there now appears to be a path towards winding down the violence that has overtaken Gaza. The AP reported that it is a three-phase ceasefire deal promising the release of dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Displaced people in Gaza should also be able to return to their homes, said the outlet.
“President Biden spoke today with Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu of Israel to congratulate him on the ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas,” said a Wednesday release from the White House. “The two leaders discussed the unimaginable conditions the hostages – including Americans – have experienced over their 15 months in captivity and the terrible suffering their families have faced, and expressed their joy that hostages will soon be reunited with their families.”
Brady noted that the ceasefire agreement announcement “really helps push him [Biden] up a notch,” as far as his foreign policy legacy is concerned.
However, Biden’s successor has also claimed some responsibility for the ceasefire as well.
“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies. I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones,” he said in a Wednesday Truth Social post.
Trump also said that his national security team plans to continue working closely with Israel and other U.S. allies going forward.
“[Biden] has gotten it accomplished, which is something,” said Brady of the current president’s hand in the ceasefire. “And also, maybe more importantly, the Middle East looks like it's changed fundamentally with the fall of Assad in Syria.”
Rebels forced Bashar Assad from office last month, according to the White House. This ouster follows 13 years of civil war and the reign of both Assad and his father.
“You know, for years, the main backers of Assad have been Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia. But over the last week, their support collapsed – all three of them – because all three of them are far weaker today than they were when I took office,” said Biden in a Dec. 8 statement. Iran and Hezbollah also have ties to Hamas.
Brady said the fall of Assad in Syria is “going to be a really important thing because it means that the whole politics of that region will be different in the future,” and he believes Biden will get some credit for that.
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