Multiple people familiar with the discussions say the White House is working with the incoming Trump administration to reach a hostage deal to halt the war between Israel and Hamas.
A resolution would be a win-win for both the Biden and Trump administrations. President Joe Biden would like to finally reach a ceasefire in his final weeks in office, while Donald Trump would also like to start his second term with both the Lebanon and Gaza conflicts wrapped up.
Both administrations have also been on the record as seeking progress on ceasefire agreements.
Incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz raised the issue in an interview last week.
"I just want to be clear to all of our adversaries, they can’t play the incoming Trump administration off of the Biden administration. I’m regularly talking to the Biden people. And so, this is not a moment of opportunity or wedges for them," Waltz said.
A day later, President Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said there had been substantive coordination between the administrations already.
"Obviously we don’t see eye to eye on every issue, and that’s no secret to anybody," he said. But, he said, “it is our job on behalf of the American people to make sure this is a smooth transition."
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Late in November, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon. President Biden at the time said he was hopeful the deal would persist and mark a "new start" for Lebanon and for Middle East security.
