Witkoff urges Israelis to ‘choose unity over division’ on ‘bittersweet’ Independence Day
Addressing Israeli embassy event, Trump envoy expresses support for ‘aid initiatives underway’ in Gaza, promises announcement on expansion of Abraham Accords ‘very shortly’
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff urged Israelis to “choose unity over division” in remarks at an Israeli Embassy in Washington event Monday marking what he acknowledged was a “bittersweet” Independence Day, as 59 hostages seized from Israel languish in Gaza tunnels.
“Israel is an extraordinary nation from its founding. It has faced external threats with creativity, resilience and triumph, and [the United States] will always be [its] strongest ally. Yet, Israel’s strength lies in its unity,” Witkoff said.
“Over the past 20 months, countless Israelis have sacrificed so much. In their honor, I urge the Israeli people to choose unity over division, vision over disagreement and hope over despair. When you do, Israel’s future will shine brighter than ever,” he added.
It was a message more characteristic of an Israeli president than a foreign dignitary, let alone one representing the Trump administration, which has largely avoided weighing in on domestic affairs in Israel.
But it pointed to a familiarity with Israel’s current political discourse, which has further heated up amid the government’s approval of an expansion of its military operations in Gaza that is likely to add further risk to the lives of the 24 hostages who are still believed to be alive.
The government appears to be at odds with the majority of the public, which in successive polls has expressed support for ending the war in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages.
Happy Independence Day to the State of Israel. I was honored to join tonight’s celebration with Amb @yechielleiter. Looking forward to our two countries working together over the coming year to resolve the many challenges we face, so that we may move closer to peace, prosperity,… pic.twitter.com/8D1fQbZNi0
— Office of the Special Envoy to the Middle East (@SE_MiddleEast) May 6, 2025
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners have argued that this trade would leave Hamas in power and are instead hoping that further military pressure will coax the terror group into agreeing to release hostages without guarantees that the war will end in exchange.
That strategy hasn’t paid dividends since Israel resumed fighting on March 18, bringing an end to a ceasefire with Hamas after its first six-week phase.
Hoping to break the impasse, the security cabinet on Sunday approved a plan that directs the IDF to gradually reoccupy all of Gaza and hold onto the Strip indefinitely. While Netanyahu has left open the possibility of withdrawing from the territory if Hamas agrees to free the hostages and give up its weapons, his far-right coalition partners — to whom he is beholden in order to stay in power — have asserted that the takeover will be permanent and that the plan is to reestablish Israeli settlements in the coastal enclave.
Polls have indicated that this, too, is out of step with the majority of Israelis.
Witkoff demonstrated familiarity with some of these dynamics during a March podcast interview with Tucker Carlson.
Then, he said that while Netanyahu may care about the plight of the hostages, “the rap he gets is that he’s more concerned about the fight.”
Indeed, Netanyahu said last week that defeating Hamas is a higher priority than securing the release of the hostages.
In the March podcast interview, Witkoff said Netanyahu “does want to get hostages home — if he can — but he believes that pressuring Hamas is the only way to do it.”
“I think Bibi feels that he’s doing the right thing. [But] I think he goes up against public opinion… because public opinion there wants those hostages home,” Witkoff added.
The Trump envoy began his short speech on Monday by extending congratulations on behalf of the US president to Israel on its 77th Independence Day, which was marked last week.
“This year has been challenging, and our celebration is bittersweet while 59 hostages remain cruelly held by Hamas,” Witkoff said.
“I remember being in the hospital in Israel when we got the female IDF soldiers out and I sang, ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ with the families,” he recalled. “I thought to myself, ‘This could be the most joyous moment in my life.”
“On behalf of President Trump, I pledge that we will work tirelessly this year, so that next year’s Independence Day is not just a wish for happiness, but a reality of peace, prosperity and — for Israel — unity,” the US envoy said.
“There are many efforts underway — humanitarian aid initiatives for Gaza, which we applaud,” Witkoff said, appearing to reference an emerging Israeli plan to resume the flow of aid into Gaza after a blockade of over two months.
An Israeli official and Arab diplomat familiar with the plan told The Times of Israel that it envisions squeezing Gaza’s population of roughly 2 million into an area that makes up about a quarter of the size of the enclave near the already-flattened southern city of Rafah. Well outside the tent encampments, compounds will be set up from which aid will be distributed. Designated and vetted representatives from each family will have to travel by foot to the compound in order to pick up a large box of food that is meant to be enough to sustain their families for a week or two, with Israel’s goal being that this new, strictly monitored procedure will ensure that aid isn’t diverted by Hamas.
In order to avoid direct IDF involvement in the aid distribution, the Israeli plan envisions private American security firms along with international organizations handing out and securing the aid. However, the UN on Sunday said it would not cooperate with a plan that it says does not adequately address the humanitarian crisis and instead turns aid into a political tool by Israel.
The lack of cooperation from the international community further complicates efforts to fund the Israeli initiative or ensure its success.
Earlier Monday, Trump said his administration will help get food to “starving” Gazans during the ongoing Israeli aid blockade, but added that Hamas has made it “impossible” by diverting humanitarian assistance for its fighters.
Witkoff, in his speech at the embassy event, also said the administration would work to expand the Abraham Accords normalization agreements that the US brokered between Israel and its Arab neighbors during Trump’s first term in office. “We think [we] will have some or a lot of announcements very, very shortly.”
“The coming year will also see discussions on regional challenges in the Middle East, like Syria, Lebanon and, of course, Iran — and we agree that they shall never get a nuclear weapon,” Witkoff said to applause.
The latter issue has been a point of quiet contention between the US and Israel, with Jerusalem concerned that Washington, in its ongoing direct talks with Iran, will agree to allow Tehran to maintain its nuclear enrichment program.
Witkoff and other US officials have made comments indicating as much, but Trump himself took a harder line on Sunday, asserting that he would only accept the “total dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear program, while leaving open the possibility for the Islamic Republic to pursue civilian nuclear energy.
The Times of Israel Community.