Kushner recalled how he watched the horrifying videos of the October 7 invasion and slaughter while he was supposed to be celebrating at a wedding in Colorado, went back to his hotel room and cried all night.<\/p>\n
Witkoff spoke of his emotional connection as a father who lost a son to drug addiction, and of his empathy with the hostages\u2019 families, who have been at the forefront of the nation\u2019s grief and resilience.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n It was Witkoff\u2019s third visit to Hostages Square in less than a year, and that compares with not a single visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or most of his ministers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Netanyahu, who spends long hours just across the street at the Kirya \u2013 Israel\u2019s central military headquarters that also houses the Defense Ministry and serves as the meeting place of the security cabinet \u2013 never found it in his heart to connect with the place that most symbolizes the years of war and the public\u2019s longing for resolution.<\/p>\n The hostages\u2019 families have described many times their connection with Witkoff, saying he was available to them on his cellphone 24\/7. He personally answered every family member, identified with their pain, and devoted himself fully to ending the human tragedy that has shaken Israel and is now approaching its denouement.<\/p>\n Indeed, both Biden and Trump administration officials involved with hostage release negotiations have been, above all, humane and direct, treating each family member as an individual, demonstrating heartfelt empathy. All of this stood in stark contrast to the often cold, dismissive and humiliating indifference of much of Israel\u2019s political leadership.<\/p>\n \t (From left) Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff meet with families of hostages in Tel Aviv on October 11, 2025. (Paulina Patimer \/ Hostages Families Forum)<\/p>\n And on Saturday night, the Americans were greeted with warmth and admiration from the crowds. Mentions of Netanyahu and his government were met with jeers.<\/p>\n But Witkoff\u2019s and Kushner\u2019s speeches in the square were not just about empathy; they also carried a vision: peace is necessary for the entire Middle East.<\/p>\n They made it clear that the agreement that is intended to see all remaining 48 hostages \u2013 20 alive and 28 dead \u2013 freed by Monday, was achieved with the vital involvement of Arab and Muslim nations. The two conveyed the message that at least some of the region\u2019s Arab leaders are tired of war and want to see change, the abandonment of hatred and a march toward a better future.<\/p>\n Israelis always insist that it\u2019s the Muslims who hate and fight Jews, and Kushner highlighted \u201cthe barbarism of the enemy\u201d on October 7. But the two Americans sought to send a message in the other direction as well: Israelis too must stop hating and fighting \u2013 and start talking about peace. \u201cYou\u2019ve prayed, you\u2019ve persevered, and you\u2019ve shown the world that peace is not weakness,\u201d Witkoff said, in remarks directed to the Israeli people. \u201cIt is the highest form of strength.\u201d<\/p>\n Several Arab and Muslim leaders \u201cplayed a critical and integral role\u201d in the deal, Witkoff went on: \u201cEach of those Arab friends and partners of ours, each of them comes from nations that chose reconciliation over resentment. Thank you for showing that the future of this region can be built not on the ashes of old hatred, but on the promise of shared hope.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs we close this chapter,\u201d urged Kushner, \u201clet\u2019s learn from the challenges and the pain of the last few years, and let\u2019s do our best to make Israel, to make the region, to make the world as peaceful, to build bridges of understanding, to eliminate hatred in ourselves, hatred for others, and to really lead with love and understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n Unprecedented moment in Israel\u2019s history<\/p>\n More than anything, the Hostages Square event highlighted Israel\u2019s leadership vacuum.<\/p>\n In the era of a hardline right-wing government \u2013 the first entirely right-wing coalition in Israel\u2019s history \u2013 under whose watch the October 7 Hamas attacks, the deadliest assault on Jews since the Holocaust, took place, representatives of the world\u2019s strongest power came to the Middle East\u2019s strongest country to restore order.<\/p>\n \t Jared Kushner speaks at the weekly rally at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, October 11, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/p>\n They dragged Netanyahu toward agreeing to an end to the war \u2014 as stated in the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, signed by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer but not yet ratified by the government<\/a>. They forced him into a hostage deal \u2013 insisting on the release of all hostages at once rather than in phases. And they told him outright that they would not support West Bank and Gaza annexation fantasies meant to rescue him from political trouble.<\/p>\n They sat in on the cabinet meeting that convened to approve the deal they brokered between Israel and Hamas, spoke at Hostages Square, and most importantly, saved the lives of 20 Israelis. It is an unprecedented moment in Israel\u2019s history.<\/p>\n Their comforting presence, their genuine admiration for the Israeli people\u2019s strength, and their salute to Israel\u2019s soldiers in their speeches on Saturday were moments of integrity and the underlining of values. Their words, steeped in love for Israel\u2019s citizens, filled the leadership void that left the public orphaned through two painful, bloody years.<\/p>\n Witkoff tried to praise Netanyahu at an event in Tel Aviv\u2026<\/p>\n but the crowd booed so loudly he couldn\u2019t even finish his sentence. pic.twitter.com\/ecGi0evcET<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) October 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The crowd responded accordingly, booing protractedly at the mention of Netanyahu, expressing its frustration with a prime minister they felt has abandoned them.\n<\/p>\n Those politicians and public figures who have rushed to condemn the booing are precisely those who never bothered to help the hostages\u2019 families, who haven\u2019t been to Hostages Square since the start of the war, and who don\u2019t understand the authentic rage of vast segments of the people. Netanyahu\u2019s and his associates\u2019 sense of insult is yet another example of their disconnect from the public.<\/p>\n Since Witkoff had already visited the square several times, he probably knew what to expect when he mentioned Netanyahu\u2019s name. He reacted with an awkward laugh, but wasn\u2019t surprised. Kushner and Ivanka Trump, by contrast, didn\u2019t mention Netanyahu at all.<\/p>\n The trio\u2019s appearance in the square also aligned with Trump\u2019s current sentiment. In recent days, he has tweeted and shared numerous videos showing Israelis expressing support for him at rallies across the country.<\/p>\n Trump made it clear \u2013 over Netanyahu\u2019s head and against his policy of downplaying and denigrating the demonstrations against him \u2013 that he sees, hears and listens to the Israeli public, which is weary of war.<\/p>\n Incredible video sent by one of the Israeli hostage families with such heartfelt appreciation to President Trump. Must watch!???? pic.twitter.com\/eFm2vAodM9<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) October 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Trump\u2019s officials understand this, too. Over the weekend, US Ambassador to the United Nations and Trump ally Mike Waltz posted on X a well-produced video, which compiles all the protests, demonstrations and pleas from Israelis calling for direct help from Trump.\n<\/p>\n Finally, the booing of Netanyahu at Hostages Square also indirectly connects to remarks the president made in a phone interview on \u201cHannity\u201d<\/a> on Fox News a few days earlier.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-10-12-at-08.23.56-1024x640.jpeg\")
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