Witkoff and Kushner reveal how they and Trump reacted to Israeli strike on Qatar
Al-Khamisa News Network - Gaza
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff told CBS News in an interview that the Israeli strike on Qatar provoked a feeling of “some betrayal.”
Witkoff said: “Jared Kushner and I felt some betrayal because of the Israeli strike on Qatar. The strike had an exacerbating effect because the Qataris were a crucial party in the negotiations.
“It became very clear how important and sensitive the role the Qataris were playing in the talks was. We lost the Qataris’ trust because of the strike, Hamas went into hiding, and it became extremely difficult to reach them.”
Jared Kushner said President Donald Trump saw the strike as a signal that a tougher stance toward Israel was necessary, explaining: “Trump felt because of the strike on Qatar that the time had come to be very tough with the Israelis.”
He added: “He felt the Israelis had begun to act out of control in what they were doing, and that it was time to stop them from doing things he sees as not in their interest.”
The full Witkoff–Kushner interview, titled “Dealmakers,” is scheduled to air on Sunday. Witkoff and Kushner discuss a face-to-face meeting with Hamas during the negotiations. They also outline the next phase of a 20-point peace plan covering disarmament, troop withdrawals, reconstruction, and governance in Gaza after the war.
On Sept. 9, Israel struck residential headquarters of Hamas in Doha, killing five Palestinians and a Qatari internal security officer. The Israeli attack on Qatar drew widespread Arab and international condemnation.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Sept. 29 that Israel had apologized in a joint phone call involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
