Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, voiced confidence Monday night that Trump’s initiative to halt the fighting in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas could realistically move forward.
During a conversation with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, Witkoff welcomed Hamas’s announcement that it would examine the proposal sincerely and issue a reply.
“I think that sounds like a very positive initial reaction for a group that hasn’t really had time to study our plan,” Witkoff observed.
Baier reminded viewers of the unpredictable nature of negotiations in the region, describing it as, “One step forward, two steps back.” Witkoff agreed, answering, “Yes,” but added, “I do [feel this one is different]. Because we have so much widespread support from all of the Gulf Coast Arab countries. We have widespread support from the Europeans.”
Highlighting the role of Trump himself, Witkoff said, “With that indomitable spirit of his, everyone’s going to be pushed by him. And I think we’re going to get to the finish line.”
When pressed about how much effort it took to bring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on board, Witkoff answered, “I think Bibi is strong for his country. And the president has a great respect for that.” He went on to acknowledge Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, pointing out, “We’ve been working all weekend on this.”
“The Israelis are bought into this,” Witkoff said firmly. “They want to do it the easy way first. So no threats. Let’s see if we can peacefully get everybody home on both sides.”
Asked to give his assessment of the likelihood of success, Witkoff closed with, “I’d say I’m very optimistic… I really am hopeful because I’ve met people on both sides and this needs to end.”
{Matzav.com}
