Israel's Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis said that it was "more than okay" for the White House to hold talks with Hamas on securing the release of the remaining hostages in a Fox News interview on Wednesday.
“They can talk with Hamas, that's okay,” Akunis said.
“I think that the main thing is that President Trump actually changed the whole idea. Instead of putting Israel under pressure, President Trump is putting Hamas under pressure, and this is the right thing to do.”
He added that Israel would be “very happy” to see more hostages reunited with their families.
“So if it's a direct negotiation with Hamas and they put them under pressure to release more hostages, more than welcome.”
Akunis on campus antisemitism
Akunis was then asked to address the Tuesday night Columbia University protests, saying he was disappointed in the situation.
“I met the president of Columbia, the president last week and I asked her to do whatever she can, even if she needs more security forces, to ensure that all of the Jewish students and the Israeli students, Israelis as well, not only from the Jewish communities around New York, they will be safe,” he said.
“I want to be very polite, but there are wild people. Those people are very wild. They prefer to be, you know, very violent, and it's unacceptable that they will be there shouting and chanting, ‘Death to America.’”
US meetings with Hamas
These meetings, first reported by Barak Ravid on Axios, mark the first known direct dialogue between Hamas and the US administration since the US designated Hamas as a terrorist organization in 1997.
Despite Hamas being labeled a terrorist group, Adam Boehler, as the administration’s special envoy for hostage affairs, was permitted to meet with Hamas under US law due to the nature of his role.
The discussions focused on the release of American hostages, including US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, as well as the broader US objective to secure the release of all hostages. The key message during these meetings, according to a source familiar with the details, was: "Trump expects to see actions before discussing the next phase."
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.