Witkoff and Kushner Share Their Disappointment Over Israel’s Qatar Strike Amid Peace Talks

Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were key figures in negotiating the recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire. In a “60 Minutes” interview, they shared how they felt “a little bit betrayed” by Israel’s airstrikes on Qatar during talks. This strike, intended to target senior Hamas leaders, caught Witkoff by surprise the next morning. He noted that President Trump had distanced himself from the decision, saying it was made by Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Witkoff expressed that this event hindered negotiations because Qatar was a vital link to Hamas. He explained, “We had lost the confidence of the Qataris. And so Hamas went underground, making it difficult to connect with them.”

Despite these obstacles, an agreement was eventually reached. Hamas committed to releasing all remaining hostages, and Israel agreed to withdraw its forces to a predefined line. Recently, 20 hostages returned home, along with the remains of others.

Kushner reflected on Trump’s feelings during this time, suggesting that Trump believed Israel’s actions were becoming reckless and that Israel needed to realign with its long-term interests.

This situation illustrates the complexities of diplomatic negotiations, especially in conflict-heavy regions. Experts highlight how crucial it is to maintain open lines of communication; breaking trust can quickly derail progress.

In fact, a recent survey from the Pew Research Center shows that public sentiment towards peace efforts in the region remains mixed, with a significant portion believing negotiations often fail due to a lack of cooperation among involved parties. This emphasizes how delicate peace processes can be.

As we await further developments, the next phase of negotiations will focus on disarmament, troop withdrawals, and rebuilding efforts in Gaza. There’s hope that lessons learned from this experience will guide future talks, fostering more stability in the region.

For more on this, see recent coverage on CBS News.

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Jared Kushner, Qatar, Hamas, Israel, Donald Trump, Gaza, Steve Witkoff