When Secretary of State Marco Rubio interrupted President Donald Trump during a White House roundtable on Antifa on Wednesday, it was obvious something big was about to happen. Rubio whispered in his ear and passed him a piece of paper, captured by Associated Press photojournalist Evan Vucci. On it was written:"Very close," and then: "We need you to approve a post on Truth as soon as possible so we can announce the deal first."
"I just got a note from the Secretary of State saying we're very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they're going to need me pretty soon," Trump said."So we'll take a couple more questions."
Trump had opened the event by telling reporters that he planned to travel to the Middle East "toward the end of the week" and might even "do a tour" of the region, including Egypt and possibly the Gaza Strip, while US negotiators discussed a deal.
Even after Rubio passed the note to Trump, Trump continued his conversation and took questions from the press, while Rubio looked visibly anxious. Ten minutes later, he said,"I have to go now and try to solve some problems in the Middle East, although I'm very well represented by our Secretary of State. He could probably do an even better job than I could, but who knows." "We don't want to take any chances. So we're going to go and do that," he concluded.
Trump's Truth post came two hours later:"I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed Phase 1 of our Peace Agreement. This means that ALL hostages will be released very soon and that Israel will withdraw its soldiers to the established line as agreed upon, as first steps toward a Strong, Lasting and Eternal Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT day for the Arab and Muslim world, for Israel, all surrounding Nations and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, who have worked with us to make this Unprecedented Event a reality. BLESSED BE THE PEACE MEDIATORS!"
In his message, Trump mentions two issues negotiators have been working on this week in Egypt: the release of hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from parts of the Gaza Strip. He doesn't mention other complicated issues that still need to be resolved, including the disarmament of Hamas and the future governance of Gaza. The president suggests these will be discussed later, saying these are the first steps toward peace.
Special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who is in Cairo with the president's son-in-law, was photographed shaking hands to seal the deal. Just hours before publication, Trump said he was ready to travel to the Middle East on Saturday night or Sunday to celebrate what could be the greatest foreign policy success of his presidency.
