Israel conveyed strongly worded messages to the White House Sunday following controversial statements made by Trump administration's hostage release envoy, Adam Boehler. Following these diplomatic communications, the senior American official published clarifications and corrections to statements he made on television networks – this was reported Sunday at the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet meeting.
In response to a headline quoting him saying Hamas members are "good guys," Boehler posted on X: "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 [the president] has said, not a single Hamas member will be safe if Hamas doesn't RELEASE ALL HOSTAGES IMMEDIATELY."
Boehler's clarification came after a series of controversial statements he made on US and Israeli television networks Sunday, where he stated among other things that "I don't care," in his words, what Israelis think, that the US is "not an agent of Israel," that a long-term ceasefire could be reached with Hamas, and that Hamas members he met "don't have horns growing out of their head. They're actually guys like us. They're pretty nice guys."
The statements provoked widespread condemnation in both Israel and the United States. Senior conservative commentator Mark Levin described Boehler's words as "shocking" and questioned "who is this envoy." Former US Ambassador David Friedman wrote that Boehler had deviated from the policy guidelines established by President Trump. "This past week, President Trump brilliantly presented Hamas with a binary choice: release all the hostages and surrender, or be destroyed. It is the only path to ending the war. on the Sunday news shows, he took the unprecedented step to meet with Hamas to consider a third way — whether a deal could be struck where Hamas "would not be involved" in governing Gaza. A deal with Hamas is a waste of time and will never be kept. Attempting one is beneath the dignity of the United States. Adam, I know you mean well but listen to your boss. The choice must remain binary," Friedman wrote on X.
During Sunday's Cabinet meeting, ministers received a briefing on the situation, and according to the presentation, following communications from Jerusalem to Washington, the White House instructed Boehler to issue the clarification. A political source responded that "there is full coordination with the United States. Boehler's tweet Sunday night clarifies this well."
Israel Hayom has learned that Boehler's diplomatic approach was controversial within the White House from the beginning. Beyond his problematic statements regarding Israel, he promised Hamas concessions that both the US and Israel officially reject, such as a long-term ceasefire. These promises raised the organization's expectations and created hope among its members that they could secure concessions that had not previously been considered. According to sources familiar with the details, one of the primary objectives of the team departing for Doha Monday will be to repair the diplomatic damage created by Boehler's statements and reset expectations in the negotiations.
