Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, one of Washington’s most respected foreign affairs commentators, offered rare praise for President Donald Trump, crediting him with achieving what he said former President Joe Biden “could never do” — securing a permanent Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Appearing Thursday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Ignatius said Trump’s breakthrough marked a defining moment in U.S. diplomacy and a turning point in the region.

“The United States is going to have to make decisions for us,” Ignatius recalled an Israeli official telling him in the early weeks after the October 7 attacks. “Joe Biden could never do that. And Donald Trump was able to do it.”

Ignatius, known for his access to top intelligence and diplomatic sources, said Trump’s success came at a “decisive moment” when he insisted that “the war must end and Israel cannot annex the West Bank” — a direct rebuke to parts of Israel’s right-wing coalition.

He went on to praise Trump’s team for what he described as “quiet, sustained diplomacy” that included sending real estate developer Steve Witkoff as an “unlikely emissary” to shuttle between regional capitals. “Trump showed the Arab world that he was serious about peace,” Ignatius said. “And he did it in a way that was unconventional but effective.”

Ignatius contrasted Trump’s assertive approach with Biden’s more cautious diplomacy, arguing that Biden had been “unable to find a way to stop” the conflict. “This war was blocked for two years,” Ignatius said. “President Biden, who preceded him, was unable to find a way to stop it. President Trump found that way by being tough on both sides.”

On Truth Social Wednesday night, Trump hailed the ceasefire as an “unprecedented event,” declaring that “ALL of the hostages will be released very soon.” He later told Fox News’s Sean Hannity that the deal was the first phase of his 20-point Middle East peace plan, which he described as “probably the biggest deal ever made.”

Ignatius concluded that Trump’s diplomatic push “deserves a victory lap.” “There’s no way that I can see that this would have been done without Trump’s pressure in the final hours,” he said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)