Alarm in Israel at US-Hamas talks
Adam Boehler, the US envoy who has been speaking to Hamas, has been explaining himself to Israel – but there has been some disquiet over what he has had to say.
Boehler said earlier today that the US was not “an agent of Israel”, and that Washington had its own “interests at play”, in explaining why talks were being conducted with Hamas over the release of captives held in Gaza, despite opposition from Israel.
Reports in Israeli media have emerged saying that Israeli minister Ron Dermer, who is close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had conveyed Israel’s unhappiness with the situation to Boehler.
Speaking to Fox News, Boehler said that he had convinced Dermer that he “wouldn’t go off the rails”, and that Israel was being “kept informed” of the talks.
The talks between the US and Hamas add to the uncertainty of the Trump administration’s position towards Israel and Gaza, an unpredictability that has left Israel wary.
On the one hand, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly backed Israel, threatened Gaza with a renewal of the war with full US support, and also called for the US to take over Gaza, displacing its Palestinian residents in the process. On the other hand, Trump pushed for a ceasefire deal to be agreed before he took office, and has now allowed his envoy to meet Hamas, despite the Israeli opposition.
Ex-US ambassador to Israel criticises captives envoy for trying to make ‘deal’ with Hamas
David Friedman, who served as US ambassador to Israel in the first Trump administration between 2017 and 2021, addressed Adam Boehler in a social media post, telling him that attempting a deal with Hamas was “beneath the dignity of the United States”.
“A deal with Hamas is a waste of time and will never be kept,” Friedman said.
“Adam [Boehler], I know you mean well but listen to your boss,” he added, referring to Trump. There is no indication that Boehler, the US envoy for hostages, is working against the wishes of Trump, who has repeatedly fashioned himself as a deal-maker through the years.
Friedman consistently pushed for pro-Israel policies while he was ambassador, and is the founder of an organisation that calls for the illegal annexation of the occupied West Bank.
