After a round of interviews with local media, Adam Boehler, US President Donald Trump’s envoy for hostages, is in the spotlight in Israel. Boehler appeared to give these interviews in order to explain the US administration’s initiative to hold talks with Hamas – directly.
This issue came to light over the weekend. There were a lot of questions about why the Trump administration had appeared to shift tactics amid Hamas’s refusal to extend the ceasefire deal that expired on March 1, leaving many Israelis wondering why the terrorist organization was still apparently benefiting from a ceasefire without releasing any hostages in return.
Boehler spoke to The Jerusalem Post’s Amichai Stein and said that he had reached out to Hamas – and that the engagement with Hamas was not a concession.
“We don’t think meeting somebody is a concession,” Boehler said. “That’s not what a concession is. Giving $1 billion, like the prior administration did [and] more than $1 billion to Iran, that is a concession.”
Behind the scenes, Israel’s current government appeared to have been nonplussed by America’s direct outreach to Hamas. This includes what was described as a tense conversation with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer last Tuesday.
Boehler’s challenge in bringing his message to Israel is to stay with that message. The interviews on Sunday didn’t always accomplish that, and this has left questions.
While he said that he loved Israel and viewed it as a great ally, the envoy for hostages was also clear that Washington was making its own decisions. The US is not an “agent of Israel” was one line that stood out in his interviews.
However, Israel’s Channel 11 reported on Monday morning that the US will coordinate talks with the Jewish state. This comes after it appeared that multiple tracks of talks were taking place.
First, Israel pushed to extend the first phase of the ceasefire, which was set to be completed on March 1. Hamas told Israel “no” regarding an extension. Reports last week indicated that Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, had devised a way to bridge this dispute through a hostage release deal in two stages.
Additional reports said that talks centered on releasing around 10 hostages across a 60-day ceasefire period. This would be a much worse deal than the first phase of the truce when 33 hostages were released in 42 days.
THERE IS also mixed messaging regarding whether Boehler’s talks with Hamas will actually bring results. This seems to be the key issue. When Trump sent Witkoff into the room to get a deal in January, he delivered rapid results, and the deal took shape in the days leading up to Trump taking office.
It’s a positive thing to move heaven and earth to bring hostages home. Trump has made it clear he cares about them. He recently met with several freed hostages in Washington and has been adamant that the hostages must be released.
The American president, notably, has always been willing to do unorthodox things to get a deal. He met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un during his first term. Trump has also sought outreach to Russia and Iran.
He has made several comments about Gaza as well, like suggesting to relocate Gazans so that it can be rebuilt. Trump also said that Israel could turn the Strip over to the US or do whatever it wants. He has warned Hamas about hell “breaking loose” if it doesn’t free the hostages.
Further, back in February, he said Hamas should free all the hostages when it appeared ready to violate the first phase of the agreement. Arab states in the region have opposed Trump’s plan, while Israel’s government has paid lip service to supporting it.
It is unclear whether Hamas currently feels it can call the Trump and Israeli bluffs about Gaza, or if the terrorist organization is empowered by Arab opposition to the plan, or by backing from Qatar.
Many things are in the air, and it is into this maelstrom that Boehler stepped over the last week.
Different discourse in Israel
AT THE end of the day, Boehler has a thankless task. Hostage talks have often become a snake’s den, with competing agendas, sabotage, and appearances of Doha’s double-dealing.
Israel held fruitless talks for a year since the breakdown of the first ceasefire on December 1, 2023. In many cases, it didn’t appear Jerusalem took the issue of the hostages seriously, and some Israeli politicians openly said returning hostages was not a priority; they even voted against bringing them home.
Commentators slandered the hostage families and claimed their protests were helping Hamas. In one of the most bizarre incidents in January 2024, Israel claimed to transfer medicine to the hostages in a cardboard box in a deal with France and Qatar. The box looked more like a prop – it looked quickly taped together – than a serious effort, leaving questions as to whether anyone in Jerusalem even believed the aid would reach the hostages.
Boehler understands the challenge that lies ahead. He was involved in the effort to free Marc Fogel from Russia. However, stepping into the limelight of Israeli media and competing interests in Israel may be more of a challenge than dealing with a more simple linear issue of freeing an American from Russia.
In terms of freeing Americans abroad, the road may be hard, but the coverage will be positive because everyone wants people like Fogel to come home. This is a big difference from how hostages are treated in some sectors in Israel.
One Israeli politician, when asked if he had seen an interview with former hostage Eli Sharabi, said he had “more important things to do.”
Sharabi was held in Gaza for 491 days, and his wife and daughters were murdered on October 7. Trump met with him and embraced him, in contrast to how he was treated by some back in Israel.
At home, Israeli hostages are sometimes treated like they are unwanted, and their supporters have been slandered and accused of helping Hamas. It is in this lion’s den that Boehler ends up finding himself when talking to local media. In America, most don’t hate on the families of hostages or accuse them of helping the enemy; no politicians say: “I have more important things to do” when asked about Americans such as Fogel.
The way people discuss this issue in Israel is completely different from that in the US. Amit Segal, chief political analyst for the N12 news site, wrote on social media that if this person was an envoy of former US president Joe Biden, “he would be burned here in the fires of hell for his delusional words and his meetings with Hamas.”
Others have pointed out that Boehler might have misspoken in his interviews, appearing to describe Hamas members who were released as “hostages” and Israelis as “prisoners” at various points.
“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 Donald Trump has said, not a single Hamas member will be safe if Hamas doesn’t RELEASE ALL HOSTAGES IMMEDIATELY,” Boehler wrote on social media on Sunday.
The fallout from the engagement with Hamas and the interviews may blow over, or it may not – time will tell. If a deal happens, then many will be able to take credit. As is often said, victory has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.
It’s worth reaching out to Hamas if something happens. If the terrorist group feels empowered and a deal is now further off, then this will not be a positive development.