(A7) Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman commented on statements made by White House Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler who presented an option that Hamas would accept a long-term truce, would be disarmed, and not involved in governing the Gaza Strip.

“This past week, President Trump brilliantly presented Hamas with a binary choice: release all the hostages and surrender, or be destroyed. It is the only path to ending the war,” Friedman opened.

“If I heard Adam Boehler correctly on the Sunday news shows, he took the unprecedented step to meet with Hamas to consider a third way — whether a deal could be struck where Hamas ‘would not be involved’ in governing Gaza,” he continued.

According to Friedman, “A deal with Hamas is a waste of time and will never be kept. Attempting one is beneath the dignity of the United States.

He suggested: “Adam, I know you mean well but listen to your boss. The choice must remain binary.”

Earlier on Sunday, Boehler suggested an alternative plan for a deal to release the hostage deal. Speaking to Kan News, he claimed: “Hamas suggested that they would release all hostages, lay down their weapons, and no longer be part of the politics of Gaza and that the US and its allies would ensure there was no military infrastructure remaining in Gaza. In exchange, there would be a five to ten-year truce, and the US and other countries would help rebuild Gaza.”