Trump envoy says he doesn’t care about Israeli criticism of talks with Hamas

US hostage envoy Adam Boehler says he doesn’t “really care” about Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer’s criticism of his direct talks with Hamas, while referring to Palestinian prisoners as “hostages.”

“I don’t really care about that that much — no offense to Dermer,” Boehler says during an interview with Israel’s Channel 13, appearing to escalate a scuffle that was first held privately between the two on Tuesday hours after Israel learned of the US hostage envoy’s direct talks with Hamas.

“If it was a big deal every time Dermer got a little bit upset… Ron might have a lot of big deals every day,” Boehler says. “I love Ron. We’ll work together again. It was great. I take no offense because he was doing what he was supposed to do.”

“I don’t mean to injure Ron or anyone else… Dermer runs a country with Bibi that is on its own, where they are exchanging massive amounts of hostages for one person,” Boehler says.

“And I will say, it’s a lot of hostages. We wouldn’t do that deal in the United States,” Boehler adds, revealing his views on the trades that Israel has been making with Hamas.

“I respect and understand his position. However, we also have our own interests in the US, and I believe and hope that some of those interactions [with Hamas] can speed things up,” he adds.

The senior American official, who has repeatedly referred to Israeli hostages as “prisoners,” appears to now be using the term “hostages” to describe Palestinian prisoners, adopting rhetoric common with Hamas but considered offensive in Israel and among many Americans. Hamas has referred to civilians kidnapped on October 7, including children and the elderly, as prisoners who were “arrested.”

Boehler tells i24News in a separate interview that he was the one who reached out to Hamas to hold direct talks earlier this year, not the other way around.

“We don’t think meeting somebody is a concession,” he adds.