Donald Trump’s envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said in an interview that he felt “betrayed” after the Israeli attack last month in Qatar, a country allied to Washington and a mediator in the Gaza war.
“Jared and I feel a little betrayed,” he explained along with Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, during an interview with the CBS television network, the first excerpts of which were broadcast this Friday, October 17.
The Israeli attack, which targeted a meeting of officials from the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Doha last month, left six dead, including a member of Qatar’s security forces.
“It was time to stand firm”
It sparked outrage in the gas-rich state and its Gulf neighbors, which rely heavily on the United States for their security.
Donald Trump “felt that the Israelis were losing a little bit of control over their actions and that it was time to stand firm and stop them from doing things that he believed were not in their long-term interest,” added Jared Kushner, who was involved in negotiations to end the war in Gaza, according to these same excerpts.
The full interview will air on Sunday.
The Qataris played “an essential role in the negotiations, as did the Egyptians and the Turks,” said Steve Witkoff, adding that he learned of the attacks the next morning.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s apology
“We had lost the trust of the Qataris. So Hamas went into hiding again and it was very difficult to contact them,” he added.
A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas based on Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan came into force on October 10, following two years of war that devastated the Gaza Strip.
Under pressure from the American president, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to Qatar from the White House.
Source: BFM TV
