President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Oval Office of the White House. (GPO)
Netanyahu reportedly reassures Israeli cabinet that the White House has agreed to coordinate special envoy Adam Boehler’s Hamas negotiations with Israel, after a senior Israeli minister blasted the talks.
By World Israel News Staff
The Trump administration has agreed to coordinate its efforts to secure the release of American hostages held in the Gaza Strip with Israel in an attempt to defuse tensions between Washington and Jerusalem that erupted last week, after it was revealed that an American envoy had secretly initiated direct talks with Hamas.
Last week, two anonymous sources revealed to Axios that President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the hostages, Adam Boehler, had opened a direct channel for talks with Hamas, with the goal of securing the release of the five American hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, including one captive believed to still be alive.
Israeli officials, who had not been informed of the talks, responded with outrage, privately chastising Boehler over the talks.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, vented to Boehler in a phone call last week, shortly after the U.S. envoy had met in Doha, Qatar, with Hamas representative Khalil al-Hayya.
On Sunday, however, Netanyahu reassured his cabinet that his government and the Trump administration had reached an understanding on the issue, resolving the diplomatic row.
According to a report by Israel’s national broadcaster, Kan, Netanyahu told ministers that the Trump administration had agreed to coordinate its diplomatic efforts vis-à-vis Hamas with Jerusalem.
“The issue has been solved,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying.
On Sunday, Boehler addressed the dustup in a string of interviews to U.S. and Israeli media outlets, downplaying the spat and emphasizing that he was negotiating on behalf of the U.S., not Israel.
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