White House hostage envoy Adam Boehler defended recent talks with Hamas negotiators in Qatar as he described representatives of the U.S.-proscribed foreign terrorist organization as “pretty nice guys.”
In an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union, the Trump official said he was “sympathetic” to Israel’s foreign minister Ron Dermer, who lashed out at Boehler about the secret talks during a call, according to Axios.
“[Dermer] has someone that he doesn’t know well, making direct contact with Hamas‚” Boehler told CNN on Sunday. “Maybe I would see them and say, ‘Look, they don’t have horns growing out of their head. They’re actually guys like us. They’re pretty nice guys.’”
Axios reported that during the recent call, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-hand man criticized Boehler for arranging the discussions without Israel’s consent.
“I understand the consternation and the concern, and I wasn’t upset,” Boehler told Tapper.
“At the same time, we’re the United States. We’re not an agent of Israel. We have specific interests at play.”
The talks between Hamas and U.S officials focused on the release of five American hostages who are in Gaza, including 21-year-old Edan Alexander, who is believed to be alive.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed initial reports and said the were the “right thing” to do.
The Biden administration refused to engage in talks with Hamas when it was in office, while former hostage envoy Roger Carstens warned in an interview with BBC News that it would be illegal to pay proscribed terrorist organizations in any deal.
But he also said that he had himself engaged in talks with banned groups such as the Taliban in Afghanistan.
During the interview with Tapper on CNN, Boehler described his meeting with Hamas officials in positive terms.
“I think it was a very helpful meeting,” he said. “It was very helpful to hear some back and forth.”
“What I wanted to do is jump start some negotiations that were in a very fragile place. And I wanted to say to Hamas, what is the end game that you want here?”
