Plus, Huckabee presses Israel on pilgrims
Screenshot/Fox News
Adam Boehler, special presidential envoy for hostage negotiations, appears on Fox News Sunday on March 9, 2025
Add JewishInsider on GoogleGood Friday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we talk to former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Mike Herzog about Democrats’ responses to U.S. involvement in last month’s war between Iran and Israel, and report on U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler’s comments at the Aspen Security Forum that a ceasefire is ‘‘closer than it’s been.” We interview Columbia students and alumni about the school’s negotiations with the Trump administration, and have the exclusive on a letter from Jewish House Democrats concerned over the Pentagon’s recent contract with xAI following a series of antisemitic posts by its Grok chatbot. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Daniel Nadler and Deborah Lyons.
For less-distracted reading over the weekend, browse this week’s edition of the Weekly Print, a curated print-friendly PDF featuring a selection of recent Jewish Insider and eJewishPhilanthropy stories, including: The psychology of denial: American Psychological Association struggles to confront antisemitism in its ranks; After Iran strikes, Saudis in no rush to join Abraham Accords, experts say; and Rep. Greg Landsman: Americans are ‘tired’ of partisanship on Iran and foreign policy. Print the latest edition here.
What We’re Watching
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is slated to meet today in New York City with the Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani. The meeting comes days after Mamdani, who has faced criticism for his defense of the “globalize the intifada” phrase, met on Capitol Hill with House Democrats. More below.
- The Aspen Security Forum wraps up today ahead of an off-the-record weekend gathering of the Aspen Strategy Group at the same venue in Aspen, Colo.
- The forum’s final morning kicks off with a sit-down with former CIA Director David Petraeus and the Financial Times’ Kim Ghattas, who will discuss the evolving situation in the Middle East.
- Later in the morning, Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE) and Mark Warner (D-VA) will speak in conversation with The New York Times’ Peter Baker.
- The final session of the forum today will feature former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and two former defense secretaries, Robert Gates and Mark Esper.
- We’re keeping an on eye the situation in Syria, where a ceasefire implemented on Wednesday has largely held. We’re also eyeing Israeli activity in Syria and along the border, as Israeli balances its security concerns with efforts to maintain calm with the al-Sharaa government.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S MARC ROD
Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Mike Herzog and other pro-Israel speakers received a warm reception from the crowd at the Aspen Security Forum this week, as they discussed continued efforts to free the hostages in Gaza and the recent strikes on Iran.
However, Herzog told Jewish Insider on the sidelines of the conference that he’s been disappointed by the response to the strikes from Democratic lawmakers in Washington, which has been overwhelmingly negative.
It’s a response that stands in contrast to Herzog’s description of the transition he observed in the Biden administration’s thinking on Iran: going from pushing for a nuclear deal with Iran that Herzog said would have been weaker than the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to, by the time President Joe Biden left office, active discussions of strikes on Iran.
Herzog said that efforts to maintain bipartisanship on Israel were a critical element of his ambassadorship and that dialogue with nearly all leaders is critical, but, “I’m saying it carefully because I never interfere in domestic politics here, but from a strategic point of view, I was disappointed by the response of some senior Democrats to the war on Iran.”
Regarding Biden’s team, Herzog told JI: “If you look at the journey the Biden administration took from the initial days when they were rushing to a deal with Iran, to the last few months of the administration where they were talking to us about military options against Iran, they went a long way. … It was too late in the day [to carry out the strikes before Biden left office], but it was a very interesting journey that I noticed.”
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler: Hamas hostage deal is ‘closer than it’s been’
U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler said at the Aspen Security Forum on Thursday that there had been “some movement forward” recently toward a hostage-release deal with Hamas. He also addressed criticisms of his direct talks with Hamas, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Status update: “It’s closer than it’s been, and if it doesn’t happen, in my strong opinion it would be continued hard-headedness from Hamas, in which case Israel will continue to take action, as they should,” Boehler, the only Trump administration official to address the conference, said. Asked about his direct negotiations with Hamas, which were controversial especially among Israeli officials who were largely kept out of the loop, Boehler downplayed the extent of the breach. “There was no unilateral deal ever possible. While that’s an American citizen, Edan, we were always working with the Israeli side.”
Strategy session: Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday at the Aspen Security Forum that the U.S. should work to exploit frictions between Iran, Russia, China and North Korea, to interfere with their deepening alliances. “I’ve thought this alliance is somewhat weaker than we sometimes would give it credit for, and I’d slam them together and make them deal with their own internal contradictions,” Rice reiterated.
tehran talk
Experts split on pathways forward for Iran, but agree regime change not imminent
Speaking on a panel at the Aspen Security Forum, a group of Iran analysts discussed the potential paths forward in nuclear talks with Iran after the American and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the possibility that Iran will attempt to reconstitute its nuclear program covertly and the prospect of regime change in Iran, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Analyzing Iran: Former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley laid out three paths forward after the strikes: a continued campaign of Israeli air strikes to “mow the lawn,” while Iran works to try to reestablish its own deterrence; a negotiated agreement with Iran including intrusive inspections that would make it difficult for Iran to construct a covert nuclear program, with provisions addressing Iran’s ballistic missiles and proxies; and the possibility, with an agreement, that Iran decides to give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons, having spent billions of dollars on the program, alienated the region and still failed to deter a U.S. or Israeli attack. Rachel Bronson, a senior advisor at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said that it’s widely believed Iran has seen a nuclear weapon as a guarantor of regime survival, in the model of North Korea. But she said there’s a chance that Iran wants to go down a different path. “That begs the question whether the Iranians want to live like North Koreans and want to live in a sanctioned regime and in such isolation, which the Iranians demonstrated that they don’t want to live that way,” Bronson said.
Sanctions push: A group of Senate Republicans sent a letter to French, German and U.K. officials this week urging them to immediately reimpose U.N. Security Council sanctions on Iran for the regime’s violations of the 2015 nuclear deal and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
CAMPUS BEAT
Columbia Jewish students, alumni critique school’s commitments to combat antisemitism as ‘bare minimum’
As Jewish students and alumni at Columbia University await the final details of the university’s prospective deal with the Trump administration, some are expressing skepticism that a list of commitments announced by the school this week to address antisemitism on campus would have a significant impact on protecting Jewish students, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. The steps were publicized Tuesday by Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman, as the school works to reach a deal with the Trump administration to restore some $400 million in federal funding that was cut by the government in March due to the university’s record dealing with antisemitism since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks in Israel.
Student reactions: According to a draft deal, Columbia would be required to pay a $200 million fine and commit to releasing admissions and staffing data to the federal government. “The deal as it stands now lets Columbia off the hook relatively without a scratch,” Inbar Brand, who graduated in the spring from Columbia’s dual-degree program with Tel Aviv University, told JI. “The school gets its money back without resolving the core issues in its governance and administrative structure that allowed for antisemitism to fester openly for so long on campus.” Noa Fay, a graduate student entering her last year in Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, described the university’s latest commitments and prospective deal as “an immense disappointment.”
SCOOP
In new memo, Republicans allege Biden admin provided grants for Palestinian NGOs with terror ties
The GOP-led House Judiciary Committee drafted a new memo on Thursday alleging that federal funding granted to USAID and nongovernmental organizations under the Biden administration was given to Palestinian nonprofits with ties to proscribed terror groups, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
The allegations: “Oversight conducted by the Committee reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s neglect and misuse of taxpayer dollars through USAID, the State Department, and other federal agencies, which were used to directly and indirectly fund the efforts of anti-Netanyahu organizations and terrorist groups,” the memo sent to committee members, which was obtained by JI, states. Judiciary Committee Republicans also revealed in the memo that they were “expanding” their investigation “to include additional American and Israeli NGOs that may be involved in funneling U.S. government funds with the purpose of undermining the Israeli government or for the support or fiscal sponsorship of terrorist groups.”
holding power
Gottheimer avoids confronting Mamdani over ‘intifada’ comments
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), in a private meeting with House Democrats in Washington on Wednesday, avoided confronting Zohran Mamdani, the far-left Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, over his controversial defense of calls to “globalize the intifada” and fierce opposition to Israel, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
No objections: Gottheimer, an outspoken pro-Israel Democrat, has not been shy about calling out members of his party when disagreements over Israel and antisemitism have arisen. But during the meeting, Gottheimer did not bring up his objections to the 33-year-old democratic socialist, according to a House aide familiar with the matter, even as his views on Israel have raised alarms among Jewish voters and faced pushback from Democratic leaders who have so far withheld their endorsements.
EXCLUSIVE
Jewish Democrats press Pentagon about Grok contract after antisemitic meltdown
A group of Jewish House Democrats led by Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA) raised questions on Friday about the Pentagon’s decision to announce a $200 million contract with Elon Musk’s company xAI to utilize a version of its Grok artificial intelligence, days after the chatbot posted antisemitic and violent screeds on X, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What they said: The lawmakers said that the contract raises questions about Musk’s potential personal influence over or access to the version of Grok that the Defense Department will use, and that the issues that produced the antisemitic meltdown might recur in its use of the program. And they alleged that the contract fits “a broader and increasingly visible pattern of the department turning a blind eye to antisemitism in its own ranks,” including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s defense of Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson against accusations of antisemitism.
Worthy Reads
Protect the Druze: In Newsweek, Druze-Israeli diplomat Sawsan Natour-Hasson, who serves as minister for public diplomacy at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, calls for global condemnation of the attacks against members of the Syrian Druze community. “The atrocities of October 7 in Israel did not occur in a vacuum. We have warned the world for years about this growing wave of radical extremism. It has targeted the Yazidis in Iraq, the Alawites in Syria, Christians across the Levant — and now, it is butchering innocent Druze civilians: women, children, and the elderly. Homes are being shelled, families displaced, hospitals are being bombed, and religious sites and symbols desecrated, led by the Syrian regime with the blessing of President Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. And yet once again — the world has remained largely silent in the face of the genocide taking place against my people.” [Newsweek]
Presidential Plot: In The Wall Street Journal, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Behnam Ben Taleblu and Saeed Ghasseminejad warn of potential Iranian plots to assassinate President Donald Trump. “Contrary to recent denials by Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tucker Carlson’s podcast, these threats and plots are real. Books about the president’s time in office and on the campaign trail detail the precautions Mr. Trump had to take. U.S. authorities have been tracking, uncovering and, where possible, prosecuting people involved. The feds have disrupted several Iranian plots to assassinate Mr. Trump on U.S. soil.” [WSJ]
The Ties that Bind: The Atlantic’s Yair Rosenberg explores the political bind facing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid the departure of the United Torah Judaism party from his coalition. “[Netanyahu] can either continue exempting the ultra-Orthodox and anger not just the public and the courts but also his own party, or revoke that exemption and lose the ultra-Orthodox — and with them, his coalition. Of late, Netanyahu has attempted to fudge the issue by pushing through legislation that would create a technical process for drafting the ultra-Orthodox but in practice make the new requirements easy to evade. This effort has met resistance in his party, however, and the bill has not passed — leading to the departure of the ultra-Orthodox parties from the government this week. For now, those parties have said that they won’t vote to force new elections, giving Netanyahu time to try to appease them. But unless he can figure out a way to pass a bill that somehow satisfies the ultra-Orthodox and their critics, it’s merely a matter of time before his erstwhile allies completely switch sides.” [TheAtlantic]
Toxic Workplace: In USA Today, Ken Marcus, the founder of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, warns that the field of mental health is becoming “steeped” in antisemitism. “In the health care system, research shows that antisemitism has escalated since the Hamas terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. Now, 75% of Jewish medical professionals say they have experienced antisemitism at work. No form of hatred is acceptable within our mental health care system – one that is supposedly built on empathy, ethics and compassion. … The proliferation of antisemitism in any space is horrific. But its proliferation in health care – a sacred, professional space brimming with private and sometimes life-threatening information – is especially dangerous.” [USAToday]
Word on the Street
In a letter to Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee warned that he could publicly declare Israel not welcoming to Christian visitors, an escalation in an ongoing diplomatic row over Christian Zionists who have experienced complications traveling to Israel; Arbel, from the Haredi Shas party, has for years clashed with Christian clergy and groups who have sought visas to travel to Israel…
Israel apologized for a strike on a Catholic church in Gaza that killed three people and said it is investigating how “stray ammunition” struck the building; the official statement came following a call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, during which the president reportedly pressured Netanyahu to release a statement…
The House of Representatives on Thursday rejected, in a 422-6 vote, a bid by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to block the $500 million in cooperative missile-defense funding the U.S. provides annually to Israel, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) introduced the “Syria Sanctions Accountability Act” to amend the Caesar Act sanctions legislation that targeted the Assad regime, allowing sanctions relief for the new government conditioned on good behavior — a step short of the full repeal that other lawmakers are advocating. The bill also includes provisions to ensure accountability in Syria and assess other pathways for financial relief…
A former University of Michigan administrator who headed the university’s office of academic multicultural initiatives and was fired following complaints that she had made antisemitic comments at a diversity conference is suing the university, alleging discrimination in the course of the school’s investigation…
Forbes spotlights Daniel Nadler, who has raised $210 million at a $3.5 billion valuation for his company OpenEvidence, which uses artificial intelligence to help simplify the process for doctors to comb through extensive medical research…
Officials at Cheltenham High School in Pennsylvania, where alum Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is honored in the school’s hall of fame, are meeting today with members of the school’s alumni association to discuss a petition to remove Netanyahu’s photo from the hall of fame…
Deborah Lyons, Canada’s special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, announced her departure from the role, which she assumed in October 2023…
A mosaic from Pompeii that had been acquired by a Nazi Wehrmacht captain during World War II and was repatriated in 2023 was put on display in a museum near the site of the ancient town, which was destroyed in a volcanic eruption…
An Israeli security officer at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem who had battled Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7, 2023, died in a drowning accident while on vacation in Greece…
Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren reflects on the “blood covenant” between Israel and its Druze community, following the attacks by Syrian government forces on the Syrian Druze community…
The Wall Street Journal reports on Iran’s efforts to rearm its militias across the region after months in which both Tehran and its proxies suffered significant hits by Israel and the U.S….
Gabriel Scheinmann, who had previously served as executive director of the Alexander Hamilton Society, was tapped to be chief of staff to U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco Charles Kushner…
Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner, who in 2012 broke a world record for his jump from the stratosphere, died in a paragliding accident at 56…
Writer and photographer Laura Ben-David died at 56…
Pic of the Day
Israeli actor Gal Gadot was honored last night with Hadassah’s Power of Our Dreams Award at the opening ceremony of the Jerusalem Film Festival in Jerusalem.
Birthdays
First-ever Orthodox Jewish player selected in the MLB Draft, picked No. 77 overall in 2021, now on the minor league disabled list, Jacob Steinmetz turns 22 on Saturday…
FRIDAY: Israeli nuclear physicist and professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University, Jonas Alster turns 92… Theoretical chemist, 1981 Nobel laureate in chemistry, he has also published plays and poetry, born Roald Safran, Roald Hoffmann turns 88… Founding partner of NYC-based law firm Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, he was one of 20 people on Nixon’s “Enemies List,” Sidney Davidoff turns 86… President of the Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County, Jan Meisels Allen… Former three-term mayor of Edmonton, Alberta, Stephen Mandel turns 80… Former prime minister of Peru, Yehude Simon Munaro turns 78… Executive director of the MLB Players Association for 26 years and then the same post at the NHL Players Association for 12 additional years, Donald Fehr turns 77… Beverly Hills resident, Felisa Bluwal Pivko… Finance, real estate and nursing home executive, Leonard Grunstein turns 73… Antisemitism scholar and one of the authors of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, he is the COO of the World Jewish Restitution Organization, Mark Weitzman… Former Israeli Police spokesman, he is now a senior national radio broadcaster in Israel and an international talk-show host, Elihu Ben-Onn turns 71… Seattle-area consultant, Elihu Rubin… Former finance chairman of the RNC, Elliott B. Broidy turns 68… Former minister for congressional affairs at the Embassy of Israel to the U.S., he was previously the Israeli ambassador to Belarus, Martin Peled-Flax turns 67… Partner at Clifford Chance, Philip Wagman… CEO and co-founder at Let’s Bench, a publisher of customized keepsake prayer books and benchers, Yitz Woolf… Associate professor of cybersecurity law at the U.S. Naval Academy and formerly an attorney at Covington & Burling, Jeffrey Michael Kosseff turns 47… Deputy director of the White House National Economic Council until 2022, now a professor at NYU law school, David Kamin… Co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alexander Ryvchin turns 42… Reporter for “NBC Nightly News” and “Today,” Gadi Schwartz turns 42… Editor of Kveller and Hey Alma, Molly Tolsky… Lauren Friedlander… CEO of Moving Traditions, Shuli Karkowsky… Senior spokesperson at the U.S. Treasury until 2023, now the head of U.S. public affairs at Coinbase, Julia Krieger… Senior manager of content strategy at Gauntlet, Philip Rosenstein… Foil fencer who competed for the U.S. at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympic Games, she won a team gold medal at the 2024 games, Jacqueline Dubrovich turns 31… Director of Hillel at Queen’s University of Canada, he is the incoming director of campus and youth impact at CJPAC, Yosef Tarshish… Istanbul resident, Izi Doenyas… Ted Rosenberg… Dog enthusiast, N.R. Gross…
SATURDAY: Retired Israeli airline pilot, he successfully thwarted an in-flight hijacking by Leila Khaled in 1970, Uri Bar-Lev turns 94… Interactive designer, author and artist, in 1986 he married Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late JFK, Edwin Arthur “Ed” Schlossberg turns 80… Retired professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam and Leiden University, he served in the Dutch Senate and then as the minister of foreign affairs of the Netherlands, Uriel “Uri” Rosenthal turns 80… Hotelier and real estate developer, the creator of the boutique hotel concept, he was the co-founder of NYC’s Studio 54 in 1977, Ian Schrager turns 79… Co-founder of Limmud FSU, she co-founded UJA-Federation of New York’s Women’s Executive Circle, Sandra F. Cahn… Former co-chairman of the Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield County, Conn., Linda Meyer Russ… Sportswriter for The Athletic and author of three books on baseball, Jayson Stark turns 74… Former CEO of Starbucks Coffee Company, he owned the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics from 2001 to 2006, Howard Schultz turns 72… Retired judicial assistant at the Montgomery County (Pa.) Court of Common Pleas, Deenie Silow… Rabbi of Congregation Beth Abraham in Bergenfield, N.J., and rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva University in NYC, Rabbi Yaakov Neuburger turns 70… Head of the Kollel at Ner Israel Rabbinical College, Rabbi Ezra D. Neuberger turns 68… Former chairman and CEO of Sears Holdings (owner of retailers Sears and Kmart), Edward Scott “Eddie” Lampert turns 63… Israel’s ambassador to Canada until 2023, Ronen Pinchas Hoffman turns 62… Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter until 2017 and author of The Nazis Next Door: How America Became a Safe Haven for Hitler’s Men, Eric Lichtblau turns 60… Israeli actress, model and film producer, Yael Abecassis turns 58… Spokesperson to the Arab media in the Israel Prime Minister’s Office from 2010 until 2023, now a consultant, Ofir Gendelman turns 54… Member of Congress (D-IL), running in 2026 to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Raja Krishnamoorthi turns 52… Co-chairman and CEO of CheckAlt, Shai Stern… Senior writer and NBA Insider for ESPN, Ramona Leor Shelburne turns 46… Former soccer star at the University of Virginia, recently a director of administrative operations at Hopscotch Health, Chad Prince turns 46… Former deputy mayor of the city of Haifa, now a real estate developer, Shai Abuhatsira turns 45… Ultra-marathon runner, he performs as a mentalist and magician, Oz Pearlman turns 43… Associate partner at McKinsey & Company, Alexis Blair Wolfer… President of Clever Bee Academy in Hewlett, N.Y., Ezra David Beren… Israel editor at Jewish Insider, Tamara Zieve… Director of operations at Tide Realty Capital, Yanky Schorr… National political reporter for The Washington Post, Isaac Arnsdorf… Venue coordinator at JW3 London, Caroline Mendelsohn Lawrence… Former EVP and CEO of the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, Dr. George Ban… Zach Houghton…
SUNDAY: Retired U.S. senator (D-MD), Barbara Mikulski turns 89… Retired president of the National Endowment for Democracy, Carl Gershman turns 82… Longtime Israeli diplomat, he served as Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Yoram Ben-Zeev turns 81… Former commissioner on the Civil Rights Commission, assistant secretary of HUD in the Clinton administration, presently vice chair of the Bank of San Francisco, Roberta Achtenberg turns 75… Senior U.S. District Court judge in Massachusetts, Judge Patti B. Saris turns 74… New York Times columnist and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Thomas Loren Friedman turns 72… Molecular geneticist at NYC-based Rockefeller University and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Jeffrey M. Friedman turns 71… Broadcast and digital media executive, Farrell Meisel… Professor of sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Barbara Risman turns 69… Past president of the Women’s Department at the Jewish Federation of Detroit, Marcie Hermelin Orley… Los Angeles-based wardrobe consultant, Linleigh Ayn Richker… Public policy expert and author, Jane S. Hoffman turns 61… Former member of the Knesset for the Yesh Atid party, she is a brigadier general in the IDF (reserves), Nira Shpak turns 59… Member of the Knesset for the United Torah Judaism party, Yitzhak Ze’ev Pindrus turns 54… Attorney, Jack Achiezer Guggenheim… SVP, Washington bureau chief and political director of CNN, David Marc Chalian turns 52… Co-author of Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame, he is a staff writer at The Atlantic, Franklin Foer turns 51… Southern states director at AIPAC, David Fox… Singer who burst on the scene as a finalist on the fifth season of American Idol, Efraym Elliott Yamin turns 47… Commissioner of the community affairs unit for NYC Mayor Eric Adams, Fred Kreizman… Co-founder and managing partner of Main+Rose, Beth Doane… Co-founder and co-executive director of the progressive Indivisible movement, Ezra Levin turns 40… Former MLB player, he was a third baseman for Team Israel in 2023, Ty Kelly turns 37… Comedian and regular player on “Saturday Night Live,” Chloe Fineman turns 37… Software engineer at Home Chef, Ashley Abramowicz Gibbs… Anesthesiologist, Dr. Sheila Ganjian Navi… VP of business development and operations at Thyme Care, Etan Raskas… SVP and head of investor relations at Vintage Investment Partners, Jonathan Tamir Alden… Actor and comedian, Joey Bragg turns 29… Associate in the trademarks and copyrights practice group at Ballard Spahr, she was president of USC Hillel as a college senior, Goldie Fields…
Boehler also addressed criticisms of his direct talks with Hamas
Aspen Security Forum
U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler speaks at the Aspen Security Forum on July 17, 2025.
Aspen, Colo — U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler said at the Aspen Security Forum on Thursday that there had been “some movement forward” recently toward a ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas. He also addressed criticisms of his direct talks with Hamas.
“It’s closer than it’s been, and if it doesn’t happen, in my strong opinion it would be continued hard-headedness from Hamas, in which case Israel will continue to take action, as they should,” Boehler, the only Trump administration official to address the conference, said. “I am more optimistic than I have been in a while about that.”
Boehler said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s success in striking Iran has given Netanyahu the political capital and positioning at home to potentially seal a deal. “In that way, there’s never been a better time.” He said Israel is “leaning in a lot” and that finalizing a deal gives Netanyahu the opportunity to further burnish his reputation in history.
By contrast, Boehler said that Hamas is “very hard-headed” in talks, which has been frustrating for negotiators and leads the terrorist group to reject deals that seem to be in its interest.
“With [former hostage] Edan Alexander, Hamas had multiple times where they probably lost leverage over time. Look at the whole war. They continue to hold out. Israel continues to kick their ass. And yet they still think they have leverage,” Boehler said.
Asked about his direct negotiations with Hamas, which were controversial, especially among Israeli officials who were largely kept out of the loop, Boehler downplayed the extent of the tension between the U.S. and Israel on the issue.
“There was no unilateral deal ever possible. While that’s an American citizen, Edan, we were always working with the Israeli side,” Boehler said. “Now whether or not — I think the question is whether or not discussions on that side were [conducted with Israeli involvement], but there would be no deal that would be possible that wasn’t coordinated with the Israelis.”
Boehler also emphasized that his job is to negotiate with people who he knows are “bad guys.”
“I’m under no illusions, ever. These are bad people. They’re bad guys,” Boehler said. “I’m not making a moral evaluation. I don’t want to go get beers with the guys. What I want is Americans out now, and I want them never to take them again.”
He said he tries to focus on what each side wants and where there might be commonalities that both sides can pursue.
Boheler added that he does not believe that meeting with someone is a concession itself. He argued that it can be more difficult to understand what an adversary actually wants in the present if he is relying on others’ characterization of their views, adding that direct talks can also move negotiations along more quickly.
The U.S. envoy argued that earlier and stronger U.S. action in the post-Oct. 7 hostage crisis — “in terms of being more aggressive in our support of Israel” — could have “made a difference if we had leaned in more at the beginning — I believe that is likely — versus holding back.”
“I’m not making that judgement by myself, I’m making that judgement from discussion[s] on the military side too,” he continued. “Are there things we could have done better there that would have made a difference for American lives and for Israeli lives? Yeah, of course.”
Boehler said that the U.S. strikes on Iran will help give him leverage in hostage talks by proving that Trump is serious about the things he says and is willing to back them up with force.
“What do I need to say? ‘You don’t want to listen to the president? One of his core platforms is getting Americans out. Look what happens,’” Boehler said. “He said something [and followed through] … it’s so important to have that credibility. And that kind of credibility doesn’t just bring Americans home. It makes people think twice before they take them.”
Boehler said that sometimes there is no negotiating path with terrorist groups or other adversaries, and that force is the only option, but that it’s worth attempting to see if there is a diplomatic path.
Boehler also repeated the administration’s recent warning to Americans against traveling to Iran for any reason.
“You sort of think that’s like, ‘Duh,’” Boehler said, to chuckles from the audience. “But you’d be surprised.”
He warned that it’s “very sensitive” for the U.S to compensate rogue actors for the release of American hostages because that can incentivize further hostage-taking going forward. The administration conducted a prisoner exchange with Russia.
“I’m very, very sensitive to hostage diplomacy because it doesn’t work. You will see we very rarely trade people. It would have to be very unique. Money? Forget about it,” Boehler said.
He said that he sometimes needs to employ “negative incentives,” including threats, as well.
“The president has always stated and oriented toward, ‘I would like a diplomatic solution.’ He told Iran that and then Iran tested it, and then they saw what they got,” Boehler said. “So those things are very important, and I think about the same thing from a hostage perspective.”
Asked about his conversations with hostage families, Boehler said he followed advice from his predecessors to be “authentic and truthful. And so if at that moment you’re feeling something, you can let that show.” He said he also tries to be “extremely responsive” to the families, but also upfront about the prospects for a deal and the potential obstacles.
“Those families have been through way more than I’ve been through. I don’t need to soft-pedal to them, but I owe them this responsiveness and authenticity,” Boehler said. “Their children, family members have been taken away, they’ve been killed. They don’t need bullshit from me. They need somebody that’s going to be honest with them and they can certainly take that.”
Boehler, who was involved in efforts to negotiate the Abraham Accords during Trump’s first administration, said that he believes the accords will grow within the next year, saying that Saudi Arabia had been clear across multiple administrations about its interest in a deal.
“I think that the inherent reasons there was interest there haven’t changed,” Boehler said. He downplayed the strain that the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel and the ensuing war have placed on those efforts, noting that the Abraham Accords have “held strong.”
“People make comments publicly, but if you look at the support, it was a totally different Middle East than if we had been in a war years before. And so I feel optimistic,” Boehler said.
Boehler also credited the Israeli government for acknowledging mistakes in its conduct in the war when they happen, noting one such statement issued on Thursday apologizing for an Israeli strike on a church in Gaza.
“I’m sure it was not on purpose and then they will do an investigation and say this is a real issue,” Boehler said.
At the same time, he said that it would be “a very dangerous thing” if Israel were to sway to the whims of global public opinion about its military campaign in Gaza “because they’re fighting for their survival all the time” against a terrorist group embedded in the civilian population.
Plus, Jewish Voice for Peace's political pivot
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Brett McGurk, then-White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, arrives to the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, April 18, 2024.
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we cover former White House senior official Brett McGurk’s condemnation of Hamas’ repeated refusals to reach a ceasefire agreement, and report on the anti-Israel group Jewish Voice for Peace’s pivot to electoral politics. We report on Israel’s strikes on Syria amid widespread attacks on the Syrian Druze community, and cover the departure of United Torah Judaism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Wally Adeyemo, Ari Aster and Tali Cohen.
What We’re Watching
- This afternoon at the Aspen Security Forum, Adam Boehler, the Trump administration’s special envoy for hostage affairs, is set to take the stage for a one-on-one conversation with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. Boehler’s appearance comes amid the cancellation of a number of Pentagon officials who had been slated to address the annual Colorado gathering.
- Later in the afternoon, former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, The New York Times’ David Sanger and Johns Hopkins’ Vali Nasr will participate in a panel discussion on Iran. Immediately following that session, former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker is slated to speak on a panel about international trade and economics.
- At a reception later in the evening, former Deputy National Security Advisor Dina Powell McCormick will speak about the book she co-authored with her husband, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA), Who Believed in You? How Purposeful Mentorship Changes the World.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S JOSH KRAUSHAAR
The latest round of fundraising reports for members of Congress paints a concerning picture about the future of the ideological center. Many lawmakers from both parties known for their pragmatism and moderation struggled to raise big bucks for their campaigns, while a number of insurgent candidates on the left and the right wings of their parties scored significant fundraising hauls.
Some of the middling fundraising numbers from experienced, establishment-oriented lawmakers will lead to speculation they are considering retirement.
On the GOP side, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), a senator deeply immersed in national security issues, only raised $723,000 in the last three months — barely inching past two of her Democratic opponents. That’s an underwhelming sum for Ernst, who has typically been a strong fundraiser but has been taking heat from both the right and left. It will only raise speculation about her political future.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), facing a primary challenge from right-wing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, also didn’t hit the $1 million mark in fundraising, bringing in just $804,000. Paxton, despite worries about his electability and scandals surrounding him, raised $2.9 million.
In the House, Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX), the respected former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, raised just $93,000 for the quarter, with less than $100,000 in his campaign account. While he’s not in a competitive district, that small sum has raised retirement speculation as well.
On the Democratic side, there were some fresh signs that mainstream, pro-Israel candidates aren’t getting quite the same fundraising traction as they have in the past.
CONFERENCE CONVERSATION
McGurk: History of Israel-Hamas talks is ‘being rewritten by people that weren’t involved’
Former U.S. and Israeli officials speaking at the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday emphasized that Hamas bears responsibility for the failure of hostage release and ceasefire talks, and discussed the possible paths to ending the war in Gaza, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports from the conference. Brett McGurk, the top National Security Council official responsible for the Middle East under the Biden administration, argued on Wednesday that the history of ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas “is being rewritten by people that weren’t involved in this.”
Missed opportunities: McGurk emphasized that Hamas repeatedly ignored and rejected proposals that fulfilled many of its demands over the course of the last year, arguing that Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah had helped force Hamas’ hand to a temporary ceasefire deal that went into effect in early 2025. “The moral toll of this awful situation tears at the soul of anyone who’s worked on this, anyone,” McGurk said. “But this war could have stopped multiple times if Hamas stopped the war and released hostages — multiple, multiple times.”
Looking ahead: Wally Adeyemo, the deputy secretary of the Treasury Department during the Biden administration, argued on an Aspen panel that postwar reconstruction of Gaza will require new tools, methods and partners.
UNDER THREAT
Israel strikes Syria ‘to halt the assaults against the Druze’
Israel struck the Syrian Defense Ministry’s headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday in response to violence against the country’s Druze minority, a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke in the White House of the “opportunity for stability, security and eventually peace” with Syria. The strikes came after clashes between Druze and Bedouin groups that began on Sunday, leaving as many as 250 dead over four days in Sweida, some 25 miles from the border with Israel and in the area of Syria that Israel seeks to have demilitarized, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
Developments: Syrian government forces entered the fray on Tuesday, saying they aimed to stop the fighting and bring about a ceasefire, which they said they had reached on Wednesday. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly the head of the Syrian branch of Al-Qaida, seeks to disarm Druze and other militias and have them integrate under the new government. Israeli Druze called for Israel to intervene from the outset of the violence on Sunday, saying that their Syrian counterparts were being massacred, raped and tortured by forces aligned with al-Sharaa. In Israel, videos and images circulated of Druze religious figures’ mustaches being forcibly shaved off by men in military fatigues. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday afternoon that Washington has “engaged all the parties involved in the clashes in Syria. We have agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end tonight.”
Heard at Aspen: “Israel is in such an extraordinary position. … Think about Israel being born, created May 14, 1948, besieged over decades by attacks and enmity from all of its Arab neighbors, now the strongest country in the Middle East,” former U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, a top foreign policy advisor to President Joe Biden, said in Aspen. “Israel’s in the strongest geopolitical position it’s ever been in, after the extraordinary events in Lebanon, in Gaza, in Iran, in Syria over the last two years.”
EXPLAINER
Netanyahu’s coalition is teetering – but his government is likely to last the year
New Israeli elections are unlikely to happen this year, despite the departure on Wednesday of two parties from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over disagreements over Haredi military exemption legislation, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports. After months of disagreements, Ashkenazi Haredi faction United Torah Judaism left Netanyahu’s coalition in protest, leaving it with 61 out of the Knesset’s 120 seats.
Hanging on: On Wednesday, Sephardic Haredi party Shas’ five Cabinet ministers quit the government, though party leader Aryeh Deri will remain an observer in the Security Cabinet. Shas only quit the government — meaning its Cabinet posts — and did not pull its 11 lawmakers out of the parliamentary coalition. Shas, whose voter base is right-wing and even more supportive of Netanyahu than the prime minister’s own Likud party, said it will not vote with the opposition. This means that Netanyahu retains a majority in the Knesset, albeit a razor-thin one.
switching gears
Jewish Voice for Peace restructures, sets its sights on the ballot box
Jewish Voice for Peace, a far-left anti-Israel advocacy group that has built a growing profile in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks, is pivoting to a new organizational structure that will soon allow it to engage more forcefully in electoral politics. The group recently began the process of consolidating its membership and organizing in an affiliated but lesser-known political nonprofit called Jewish Voice for Peace Action, devoting the bulk of its resources to lobbying and political activities, such as supporting and opposing candidates that had not traditionally been a part of its core focus. As a nonpartisan tax-exempt group, JVP, which has been at the forefront of campus anti-Israel protests and promotes efforts to divest from Israel, has been legally prohibited from taking sides in campaigns — a limitation the new structural change is designed to address, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Behind the decision: The shift comes as the activist left has felt newly emboldened by Zohran Mamdani’s shocking victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary in June, fueling debates over the ideological direction of the party as it gears up for next year’s midterms. JVP Action, which recently changed its public name to Jewish Voice for Peace to match its sister organization, was an early supporter of Mamdani and has cited his outspoken opposition to Israel as a sign of evolving voter attitudes about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “There is unprecedented, mass support for Palestinians. Our movement has already grown larger, and more quickly, than many of us thought possible. But it’s clear we have not begun to tap our full potential,” JVP writes in a detailed new page on its website about the decision-making behind its shift.
HILL TALK
House Armed Services Committee Democrats criticize Pentagon for rogue moves on Ukraine
Members of the House Armed Services Committee sparred on Tuesday at their annual meeting on the National Defense Authorization Act, the massive annual defense and national security policy legislation, over reportedly rogue actions by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Under Secretary Elbridge Colby to pause U.S. aid to Ukraine without White House knowledge or support, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Other developments: The committee also approved a series of amendments on the Middle East and antisemitism during its markup, and voted on party lines to defeat amendments seeking to block the conversion of a Qatari jumbo jet to be Air Force One and to take the Pentagon to task over the Signalgate scandal.
ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
Global oil market pressures restrained Israeli, Iranian attacks on oil infrastructure, analyst says
The pressures of the global oil market restrained Israel from bombing Iran’s Kharg Island oil facilities and Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz or attacking Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq oil facilities, an energy policy analyst argued at the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Explanation: “There was some measure of security that came from the fact that we’re in a global oil market and we’re all in this together,” Jason Bordoff, the founding director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, said on a panel on energy security. “If Iran had tried to do that, it would have imposed pain on itself, it would have imposed pain on China, it would have imposed pain on Gulf countries it was trying to keep on its side.”
Worthy Reads
Hamas’ MO: In Newsweek, former White House Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt suggests that Hamas has committed “dehumanicide” against the Palestinian people. “I define ‘dehumanicide’ as when a people’s leadership condemns its population to death by treating them not as humans but as props. By camouflaging among civilians — placing weapons, tunnels, and command posts in and under hospitals, schools, mosques, and apartment buildings — Hamas has committed an act of dehumanicide. Hamas transformed civilian lives into strategic assets for international outrage. Hamas instrumentalized Gazans not as people to be protected, but as tools of their horrific, twisted, evil warfare. Hamas accepts these civilian deaths as the ‘cost of doing business.’ Indeed, Hamas welcomes the deaths because it knows the world will use them as cudgels against Israel so that Hamas can prolong its long war against the Jewish state.” [Newsweek]
MAGA Revisionism: In The Free Press, Rebeccah Heinrichs looks at the effort by “conspiracy theorists, cranks, and the craven” of the MAGA wing of the Republican Party to revise how Americans view their own history. “While Donald Trump reaffirms the principles that underpinned his first term — that America remains the leader of the world’s most successful military alliance (NATO), a committed supporter of the Jewish State, lead defender of the global commons, and is willing to use military force when necessary — he is increasingly out of step with a critical constellation of right-wing influencers, podcasters, and contrarian intellectuals. For them, America’s history as a global superpower is morally suspect, if not outright criminal. Our victories become losses, our alliances sinister entanglements, and our deterrence campaigns provocations. Why? Because they must revise the past to justify and satisfy their policy preferences in the present.” [FreePress]
Dear Zohran…: The New York Times’ Tom Friedman raises concerns about New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s continued defense of the phrase “globalize the intifada,” despite pushback from Democratic officials and the Jewish community. “First, if you are discussing a mantra — like ‘globalize the intifada’ — that takes 15 minutes to explain why it doesn’t mean what it obviously means, I’d suggest that you distance yourself further from that mantra. … When I see someone running for mayor defending a useless, meaningless, far-left mantra that helps no one, and who prefers commenting at a distance and not convening energetically, it makes me wonder how he will deal with the really hard issues on the West Bank of the East River — not the West Bank of the Jordan — that most New York voters care most about.” [NYTimes]
A Grieving Mother’s Plea: In The Hill, Leah Goldin, whose son Hadar was killed in 2014 by Hamas, which has held his body since, calls on Saudi Arabia and President Donald Trump to prioritize the release of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza as Israel and Hamas work toward a ceasefire agreement and Trump looks to expand the Abraham Accords. “This week marks 4,000 days since Hadar’s abduction. In that time, I have knocked on the doors of leaders and diplomats around the world. I have appealed not only as a grieving mother but as a citizen of a country that shares the United States’s values of justice and humanity. … I beseech the president: use your influence to ensure that Saudi Arabia helps to bring them home. Peace and normalization will be your historic legacy in the Middle East, but they cannot come at the expense of the hostages. Their return is a critical confidence-building step toward the peace that you are building.” [TheHill]
Word on the Street
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee made a brief appearance at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial in Jerusalem on Wednesday, telling reporters earlier in the day that the visit to court was “an act of friendship”; days prior, President Donald Trump had posted on his Truth Social site in support of Netanyahu, calling on the charges to be dropped or for the prime minister to be pardoned…
The International Criminal Court denied a request from Israel to withdraw the arrest warrants issued against Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant while the court reviews Israeli challenges to the warrants…
A new American intelligence assessment indicates that American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last month largely destroyed Fordow, but left Natanz and Isfahan largely intact, albeit somewhat degraded…
New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani met on Wednesday with House Democrats, including Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) at a breakfast in Washington hosted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)…
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told MSNBC that she had conveyed to Mamdani that he has “a lot of healing to do with the Jewish community” over his anti-Israel activism and support for rhetoric that is widely viewed by the Jewish community as incitement to antisemitic violence…
Les Wexner purchased Norman Foster’s Martha’s Vineyard estate for $37 million…
The New York Times profiles thriller filmmaker Ari Aster ahead of the theatrical release of his new film, “Eddington”…
The Modern Orthodox organization Uri L’Zedek, which has brought lessons from the Torah into the social justice ecosystem for nearly 20 years, is expanding into advocacy work in Washington, hoping to “lower the temperature” of the country’s partisan politics, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim reports…
An Australian Muslim cleric, who was ordered by a court to cease giving inflammatory and antisemitic sermons, was ordered to prominently display notices detailing the court’s findings across the social media platforms of the Islamic center he oversees…
Tali Cohen is joining the Anti-Defamation League as the director of the group’s Washington office, following more than two decades at FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security…
Pic of the Day
The inaugural meeting of the Belgrade Strategic Dialogue: Serbia-United States-Israel Partnership was hosted by the Serbian National Assembly this week, attended by Serbian parliamentarians, Israeli Ambassador to Serbia Avivit Bar-Ilan, members of the Jewish community, business leaders and policy experts from the American Foreign Policy Council, Atlantic Council and AIPAC.
Birthdays
Emmy Award-winning actor and comedian, Brett Goldstein turns 45…
Chef and two-time James Beard Foundation Award winner, Joyce Goldstein turns 90… Professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University and former Israeli foreign minister, Shlomo Ben-Ami turns 82… Emmy Award-winning play-by-play announcer on radio and TV, currently with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Charley Steiner turns 76… Co-editor of The Big Book of Jewish Humor, Moshe Waldoks turns 76… Civil rights and criminal defense attorney, co-founder of the Innocence Project, Peter J. Neufeld turns 75… Rabbi emeritus at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, Pa., Lance J. Sussman turns 71… Managing GP and co-founder of Pitango Venture Capital, Nechemia (Chemi) Peres turns 67… Television and film director, Joshua Seftel turns 57… Actress best known for playing Sharona on “Monk,” Bitty Schram turns 57… Rabbi of the Young Israel of Woodmere, N.Y., Shalom Axelrod turns 56… Founder and CEO of Zeta Global, David A. Steinberg turns 55… Stand-up comedian, Gary Gulman turns 55… Treasurer of Australia until 2022, now chairman of the Future Fund, Josh Frydenberg turns 54… Blogger, journalist, and science fiction author, Cory Doctorow turns 54… Member of the Knesset for the Yesh Atid party, Boaz Toporovsky turns 45… Para table tennis player and Paralympic gold medalist, Ian Seidenfeld turns 24… Arabella Rose Kushner turns 14…
When an Israeli reporter asked Boehler about his "tough conversation” on the matter with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, the Trump envoy chuckled: "I don't really care about that that much."
Screenshot/Fox News
Adam Boehler, special presidential envoy for hostage negotiations, appears on Fox News Sunday on March 9, 2025
Israel expressed concerns to the Trump administration after a media blitz by Adam Boehler, the special envoy for hostage affairs, defending his recent talks with Hamas on Sunday, Hebrew media outlets reported.
Jerusalem asked Washington for clarifications after Boehler gave a series of interviews to American and Israeli media following criticism of the direct negotiations with the terrorist group.
After Israeli officials expressed their concerns, the Trump administration reportedly responded that the talks with Hamas would not happen again – though Boehler told CNN: “You never know. Sometimes, you’re in the area and you drop by.”
When Israeli Channel 13 reporter Neria Kraus asked Boehler about his reportedly “tough conversation” on the matter with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is leading the Israeli negotiating team, the Trump envoy chuckled and said, “I don’t really care about that that much.”
Asked by Jake Tapper on CNN, “Do you understand why [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, Dermer, others might be upset?” Boehler answered that he did, but “at the same time, we’re the United States. We’re not an agent of Israel. We have specific interests at play.”
Boehler said it “feels a bit odd,” and that Hamas members are “not so good people,” when asked by Tapper what it was like to meet with “antisemitic murderers.” But at the same time, Boehler said that Israeli concerns are borne out of the possibility that Boehler would meet them and think “they don’t have horns growing out of their head … They’re actually pretty nice guys.”
After the complaints from Jerusalem, Boehler clarified his “pretty nice guys” remark, writing on X: “I want to be 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 POTUS has said, not a single Hamas member will be safe if Hamas doesn’t release all hostages immediately.”
Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” Boehler said negotiators had “very productive talks” and that Hamas “provided some very interesting views.” He posited that Hamas saw “a long-term truce where we forgive prisoners, where they would be disarmed, a truce where they would not be part of the political policy, and a truce where we would ensure that they are in a place where they can’t hurt Israel.”
Boehler also used language equating Israeli hostages, most of whom were taken from their homes or a music festival, to Palestinian prisoners detained due to security offenses and, in some cases, convicted on multiple counts of murder.
On Channel 13, Boehler criticized Israel for “exchanging massive amounts of hostages” in reference to the number of Palestinian prisoners Israel has freed for each hostage.
On Channel 11 and in The Jerusalem Post, Boehler referred to the potential to free more hostages as prisoner exchanges.
The equivalence Boehler drew was disturbing to Israeli officials, Jewish Insider has learned.
While the Israeli government has not commented publicly on Boehler’s latest remarks, Knesset Law, Constitution and Justice Committee chairman Simcha Rothman, a close confidant of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, criticized Boehler.
“Whoever is quoting what Hamas says and negotiating with Hamas directly is making a huge mistake that endangers the hostages,” Rothman said. “I’m not arguing about the importance of saving hostages and not about the need to free them all … I think Adam Boehler and anyone who is negotiating with Hamas is doing significant damage to [the effort to] return the hostages.”
Danielle Cohen contributed to this report.
The special presidential hostage envoy: ‘We’re the United States. We’re not an agent of Israel. We have specific interests at play.’
Screenshot/Fox News
Adam Boehler, special presidential envoy for hostage negotiations, appears on Fox News Sunday on March 9, 2025
Adam Boehler, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, said on Sunday that recent direct talks between the U.S. and Hamas on continuing the cease-fire and hostage-release deal with Israel were “very productive.”
Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” Boehler said negotiators had “very productive talks” and that Hamas “provided some very interesting views.”
Boehler said, in addition to discussing the release of hostages, the parties “discussed what the end [of the war] might look like” and Hamas “did orient toward a long-term truce … where they would be disarmed, a truce where they would not be part of the political policy, and a truce where we would ensure that they are in a place where they can’t hurt Israel.”
“Those kinds of dialogues are very important to the president because, as he constantly says, he doesn’t want war,” Boehler continued. “War is a last resort. He wants a peaceful world.”
Boehler confirmed that he had spoken with Ron Dermer, Israel’s minister of strategic affairs who is leading Jerusalem in hostage negotiations, who “raised some concerns … And quite frankly it’s totally fair for Israel to have concerns if we’re having direct contacts with Hamas.” But, Boehler said, he believed he was able to “put [Dermer] at ease” and affirmed, “There’s no question in my mind that our greatest ally is Israel.”
On a more hawkish note, Boehler also appeared to indicate that the U.S. would get behind partnering with Israel to attack Iran’s nuclear program. Making the point that Trump would execute on his threats, noting the first Trump administration’s killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in his first term, Boehler said, “It’s not so hard for us to partner with Israel and take out that nuclear capability, which we probably should do.”
Addressing reports that the Israelis are concerned that the U.S. is only interested in returning the remaining American hostages, Boehler emphasized that the recent negotiations were focused on all of the hostages, regardless of nationality: “My job is to get all hostages home because the job was given to me by the president. I take my orders from the president of the United States.”
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday morning, Boehler told host Jake Tapper that “Israel has done a wonderful, masterful job eliminating Hamas, Hezbollah, a number of other enemies … that makes things possible that weren’t possible before. And I think you could see something like a long-term truce, where we forgive prisoners, where Hamas lays down their arms … I think it’s a reality. It’s real close.”
Asked if he has plans to sit down with Hamas again, Boehler said, “You never know. Sometimes, you’re in the area and you drop by.”
Tapper questioned Boehler: “Do you understand why [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, Dermer, others might be upset?” Boehler answered that he does understand, but “at the same time, we’re the United States. We’re not an agent of Israel. We have specific interests at play.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), appearing on “Fox News Sunday” after Boehler, responded to Trump’s desire to restart negotiations with Iran on their nuclear program: “Here’s what a good deal will look like to me. No more enrichment for Iran. Take all the highly enriched uranium out of Iran. I’m willing to buy it from them and allow them to have nuclear power where fuel rods are provided by either Russia, China, or some international group,” Graham said.
“If you want to negotiate with Iran,” Graham continued, “you need to have an endgame where they have no nuclear capability to make a bomb when it’s over, and you should put them on the clock.”