In the first week of March, reports surfaced that the US started direct “unprecedented” talks with Hamas regarding the Gaza ceasefire and captives-for-prisoners swap deal.
These talks reportedly provoked the indignation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they were held without his consent. Reports indicate that the US decided to not include Israel after Netanyahu opposed the proposal raised by the Trump administration last month.
Based on what was leaked from the meetings between the US and Hamas’ delegations, the talks focused on the release of five Israeli-American captives held in Gaza, one of them alive and four believed dead.
Although Israel avoided publicly criticizing the US over its unprecedented direct talks with Hamas, Netanyahu’s office issued a brief statement unveiling that “Israel has expressed to the United States its position regarding direct talks with Hamas”.
It is believed that Netanyahu’s opposition stems from his concern that by going for negotiations with Hamas while leaving Israel behind, the US might lose interest in securing a broad ceasefire and captives-for-prisoners swap deal, once all American captives are released.
Analysts suggest that by its direct talks with Hamas, the US has marginalized Netanyahu from playing any crucial role in the Gaza ceasefire and captives-for-prisoners’ deal negotiations, and more importantly, has obstructed him from advancing on his threat to resume the war on Gaza.
Israelis slam Boehler for his “shocking” statements
Twisting the knife for Israel, US hostage envoy Adam Boehler appeared on multiple Israeli and American TV channels on Sunday, March 9, to speak about the talks he held with Hamas’s top officials.
The US diplomat said that the talks, during which Hamas proposed a truce with Israel that may last from 5 to 10 years, were helpful. Boehler explained that the proposal suggests the release of all Israeli captives with a pledge by Hamas to not use arms during the truce period, although it still rejects demilitarization categorically.
However, Boehler shocked Israel when he described Hamas as a “bunch of nice guys”, and he called Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails hostages, despite Israel’s strenuous efforts to depict them as terrorists.
Trump’s hostage envoy faced a barrage of criticism as his statements were interpreted by Israelis as bids to humanize Hamas. Waspish words were used by some Israeli media outlets to lash out at Boehler. The Times of Israel described him as “Trump’s complacent, confused, and dangerously naive hostage envoy.”
According to Israeli media, Boehler’s language equated Israeli captives with Palestinian political prisoners. However, this complaint only served to expose the supremacist and apartheid mindset, which the Israeli colonial regime promotes through its media institutions.
“The US is not an agent of Israel,” says Boehler
The US engaging in direct talks with Hamas sent strong messages to Israel.
On one hand, the dialogues gave the impression that the US was dealing with Hamas as an indispensable legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. This is despite the fact that the US State Department designated the movement as a “foreign terrorist organization” (FTO) in 1997.
The talks also suggested a decrease in trust between the Trump and Netanyahu administrations, especially given that Boehler reacted to the Israeli criticism of the talks on Sunday saying “the US is not an agent of Israel.”
On Monday, March 10, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded to Boehler’s statements, claiming that Israel informed him “not to engage in talks with Hamas on Israel’s behalf.”
“He (Boehler) attempted to negotiate the release of American hostages. We made it clear to him that he cannot speak on our behalf, and if he wishes to negotiate on behalf of the United States, then good luck to him,” Smotrich told the Israeli Occupation Forces’ radio.
Boehler retracts his statements following Israeli criticism
Promptly after coming under fire due to his statements, Trump’s envoy for hostages, Adam Boehler, issued a clarification retracting his statements on Hamas.
“I want to be CRYSTAL CLEAR as some have misinterpreted. Hamas is a terrorist organization that has murdered thousands of innocent people. They are BY DEFINITION BAD people. And as President Trump has said, not a single Hamas member will be safe if Hamas doesn’t RELEASE ALL HOSTAGES IMMEDIATELY,” Boehler wrote on X.
Marco Rubio does damage control
In an attempt to contain the tension with Israel, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that the meeting between Boehler and Hamas was an event isolated from the talks led by Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, in the Qatari capital Doha. Rubio emphasized that the meeting has not yielded any tangible outcomes.
“That was a one-off situation in which our special envoy for hostages, whose job it is to get people released, had an opportunity to talk directly to someone who has control over these people and was given permission and encouraged to do so. He did so,” Reuters quoted Rubio as he was speaking to reporters while traveling to Saudi Arabia.
“As of now, it hasn’t borne fruit. Doesn’t mean he was wrong to try, but our primary vehicle for negotiations on this front will continue to be Mr. Witkoff and the work he’s doing through Qatar,” Rubio added.
Israel proceeds with the indirect negotiations in Doha despite its outrage about US-Hamas direct talks
The Trump administration seems to have succeeded in putting Netanyahu in an impasse. Leaving no option for him but to resume the indirect negotiations with Hamas, which are mediated by Egypt and Qatar and supervised by the US.
On Monday, an Israeli delegation arrived in Doha to participate in the negotiations, while Witkoff is expected to travel to Qatar this week to facilitate the discussions.
