U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s address in Tel Aviv on Saturday was marred by an irate crowd and a bumbling delivery.
Witkoff was joined by Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner—who hold no official positions within the Trump administration—for a speech marking the expected release of the 20 hostages believed to still be alive in Gaza.
Witkoff’s victory address was derailed, however, when the crowd savagely booed the mention of key Trump ally and Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Let me just finish my thought… guys, let me just finish my thought,” Witkoff pleaded as the attendees expressed their disdain for the Israeli leader.
The fury of the crowd lasted more than one minute, and when he did speak, Witkoff stumbled over the prime minister’s name.
“To Prime Minister Benjin Nahu…” Witkoff said. “I was in the trenches with the prime minister. Believe me, he was a very important part here.”
The rally, thought to comprise as many as 400,000 people, was organized by the families of the hostages in Hostages Square, in anticipation of the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Trump administration is credited with orchestrating a peace deal between Israel and Hamas following two years of intense conflict in the Gaza territory. A ceasefire has been in place since Friday, with Palestinians returning to the rubble-strewn region and aid expected to be allowed in.
Netanyahu’s popularity has declined since the start of the conflict, with polls consistently showing a majority of Israelis have little confidence in his far-right coalition government.
The families of hostages taken by Hamas have been a significant and vocal force in Israeli politics over the past two years, with many accusing Netanyahu of prioritizing his own political survival through the continuation of the war over their own loved ones’ safety.
Both Ivanka and Jared also addressed the crowd, with Ivanka saying the return of the hostages is a “triumph of faith, of courage and of our shared humanity.”
“The president wanted me to share, as he has with so many of you personally, that he sees you, he hears you, he stands with you always, always,” she said on behalf of her father.
Kushner, who appeared to smile as Witkoff was booed, said that he “couldn’t be prouder to be a friend of Israel.”
“Instead of replicating the barbarism of the enemy, you chose to be exceptional, you chose to stand for the values that you stand for,” he said.
Witkoff has a background in property and a close personal relationship with Trump. He had no prior diplomatic experience before his appointment as special envoy to the Middle East.
Kushner and Ivanka, who held official advisory roles to the president during Trump’s first term, have been working as informal advisers, particularly to Witkoff.
Kushner is currently CEO of the private equity firm Affinity Partners, which he founded in 2021, and which has secured billions in funding from Arab Gulf countries, primarily Saudi Arabia.
Multiple international organizations, including the United Nations, have described Israel’s actions in Gaza over the past two years as a genocide.
Since the start of the conflict, 2.1 million Palestinians have been displaced, while the Gaza Ministry of Health says more than 168,000 people have been injured, and more than 67,000 killed.
First Appeared on
Source link
