Politics

Direct US talks with Hamas ruffle feathers in Israel

Despite the closeness between the two administrations, Trump’s team is not afraid of disagreeing with Netanyahu, and even crossing Israel’s red lines if necessary

Jim WATSON / AFP

US Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler speaks during a US hostage and wrongful detainee flag raising ceremony at the State Department in Washington, DC, on March 6, 2025.

Direct US talks with Hamas ruffle feathers in Israel

Michael Horowitz

last update on 16 Mar 2025

The dramatic meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump at the White House has made US allies wonder if they may be the next victims of Trump’s changing mood. For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may view himself as immune to Trump's wrath but direct Hamas-US talks on a Gaza ceasefire and comments by Adam Boehler, then-Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, have reportedly rattled him and his Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.

Boehler confirmed that the US held direct talks with Hamas—a US-designated terrorist group since 1997—in Doha over the past few weeks. While the stated goal of the negotiations was to ostensibly negotiate the release of an US-Israeli soldier, still believed to be alive, as well as the bodies of four US-Israeli hostages, the talks appear to have widened and touched upon larger issues regarding the “day after” the war in Gaza.

While the Israeli government claimed it was aware of the talks, Dermer held a call with Boehler reportedly accusing him of sidestepping Israel and ignoring warnings issued by Israel not to engage in direct negotiations with Hamas.

Adding insult to injury, Boehler went on television to defend the direct diplomatic outreach. When asked about Israel’s frustration with the talks during an interview on CNN, Boehler said “we are the US, we’re not Israel’s agents, and we have our own interests”. He even appeared to tone down the general characterisation of Hamas saying “they don’t have horns growing out of their heads; they’re actually guys like us, nice guys”—a characterisation that infuriated many in Israel.

BREAKING:
U.S President Trump hostage envoy Adam Boehler says Hamas are nice guys after the direct negotiations with them:
“They don't have horns growing out of their heads. They're actually pretty nice guys; guys like us and the US is not an agent of Israel” pic.twitter.com/zZEqRba8tQ
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) March 9, 2025

Later Boehler specified in a post on X, “I want to be clear because some misunderstood — Hamas is a terrorist organisation that has murdered thousands of innocent people. By definition, they are bad people”.

The (relatively discrete) spat between Israel and the US is notable and beyond anecdotal. If the Biden administration had made the same actions and statements, Israel would likely have reacted in a very different, and public manner.

Cautious approach

The lack of a public response, and Israeli statements toning down what could have easily been a major crisis, show Netanyahu’s cautious approach towards the Trump administration. In fact, neither side wants to air their grievances in public. This is generally a sound diplomatic approach but differs from what Netanyahu did with Biden or what Trump did with Zelenskyy.

Boehler later withdrew his nomination to serve as special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, but said he would continue to manage the file from a lower-level position that does not require Senate confirmation, perhaps to avoid further scrutiny.

Trump's decision to go over Netanyahu's head suggests he wants a deal, and does not want the war to resume

But beyond the controversy surrounding his comments on CNN, the fact that the US administration is engaging in direct talks with Hamas is significant in itself. While some claim Boehler was acting on his own, the thought of a US special envoy speaking to Hamas without the approval of his boss—Special US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff—is highly unlikely.

The talks—which took place in Doha and lasted for weeks—couldn't have happened without the approval of Witkoff himself, who is known to have Trump's full support and trust. Using Boehler as the main point of contact for the diplomatic effort may have been meant to shield Witkoff himself, and give Israel someone to be angry at, but no one (including Israel) is really under the illusion that Boehler acted on his own.

This isn't anecdotal. Trump's decision to go over Netanyahu's head suggests that despite his over-the-top statements regarding Gaza, and his stated support for any measures taken by the Israeli government, he very much wants a deal, and does not want the war to resume. Trump recently appeared to backtrack on support for the displacement of Palestinians, stating "nobody is expelling any Palestinians from Gaza".

REPORTER: What about the president's plan to expel Palestinians out of Gaza?

TRUMP: Nobody is expelling any Palestinians. Who are you with?

REPORTER: I'm with Voice of America, sir.

TRUMP: Oh, no wonder. pic.twitter.com/chuG6J1OrT
— John B Wells (@JohnBWellsCTM) March 12, 2025

Sensitive time

The decision to push direct negotiations comes at a very sensitive time for the Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release agreement. Phase 1 of the deal was expected to last until 1 March, with the two sides meant to negotiate an agreement for Phase 2 of the deal, but Israel keeps delaying these talks.

Notwithstanding Israel's delay, Phase 2 talks were always going to be extremely complex—much more so than the talks that led to the current ceasefire. Phase 2 of the deal is supposed to include an agreement on a "sustainable calm"— namely a permanent ceasefire. Israel is pushing to make sure that such an agreement entails a removal of Hamas both as a civilian and military force, while also opposing assigning any role to the Palestinian Authority.

For its part, Hamas is open to the idea of no longer having to deal with civilian issues in Gaza, which it considers a burden, but refuses to disarm. Beyond that, there are political considerations in Israel that make a Phase 2 agreement more difficult, as Netanyahu's coalition may not survive the official end of the war, prompting some foot-dragging from Israel despite the urgency of releasing visibly cruelly-treated hostages.

AFP — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference after a mini-war cabinet meeting on October 28, 2023.

With this in mind, the US initiative is no accident. It shows Washington is willing to push through, explore creative solutions and sideline Netanyahu if necessary. At the moment, Washington is exploring a bridge proposal that would extend Phase 1 in exchange for the release of hostages, but continues to signal its commitment to ending the war, even if that means exploring direct talks with Hamas.

Some in Israel believe direct US talks with Hamas hurt Tel Aviv's ability to pressure Hamas. They also aren't happy that Trump didn't deliver on his ultimatum that "all hell would break loose" unless Hamas released all hostages. However, the Trump administration appears to have given Israel a freer hand in Gaza, as highlighted by its suspension of food, water, medicine and electricity to the Strip.

Whether this is part of a broader strategy, or just happenstance, the Trump administration has shown it is willing to explore different tactics many would have considered taboo. The recent developments show that, despite the closeness between the two administrations, Trump's team is not afraid of disagreeing with Netanyahu, and even crossing Israel's red lines if necessary.

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