Trump Does The Right Thing By Going Behind Israel’s Back

The Trump administration is currently in direct talks with Hamas over the release of American hostages in Gaza — and that’s a good thing, even if Israel is ticked off.

As of now, four American hostages are reportedly dead, while one hostage, Edan Alexander of Tenafly, New Jersey, is believed to be alive. Although the Trump administration consulted with Israel over the possibility of direct talks, which have recently taken place in Doha, Israel did not learn about them directly from the U.S. government, according to Axios. (Subscribe to MR. RIGHT, a weekly newsletter about modern masculinity)

🚨🚨🚨Exclusive: U.S. holding secret talks with Hamas on Gaza hostages. My story on @axios https://t.co/V4E7arYiJY

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) March 5, 2025

Naturally, the Israeli government was a tad peeved they didn’t get a buy-in.

“During talks with the U.S., Israel expressed its opinion about the issue of direct talks with Hamas,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s office said in a statement.

The talks, held by U.S. presidential envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler, are unprecedented. No other previous administration, especially not the Biden administration, has ever directly negotiated with Hamas or engaged with the terrorist organization without Israel having a seat at the table. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at Wednesday’s press briefing that the talks are part of President Donald Trump’s “good faith effort to do what’s right for the American people.” (RELATED: Trump Flirts With Poison Pill That Could Destroy His MAGA Agenda)

And as it should be. The talks might be unprecedented, but this is also what America First diplomacy looks like. America has a direct interest in freeing Edan Alexander, and we should prioritize freeing him (and, ideally, the others). We don’t have to defer to Israel or any other ‘ally’ when the life of an American is at stake.

It’s time to shed the baggage of our so-called allies, whose own interests usually yank us in wrong or outright catastrophic directions. Trump working for peace through over means, rather than just doing or saying whatever Israel tells the U.S. to say or do, is a good start.

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