Weitkof: The Rafah Crossing Must Open to Build Trust and the Technocrat Committee Will Replace Hamas

Translation by SadaNews - U.S. envoy for Middle East affairs, Steve Weitkof, stated on Thursday night to Friday, that the Rafah crossing must open even though Hamas has not yet handed over the last body of an Israeli prisoner in its possession.

Weitkof was responding to a question from a Yedioth Ahronoth reporter during a speech he delivered at the annual conference of the American-Israeli community in Miami.

Weitkof said, as translated by SadaNews, "We need to open it; we promised to do so, and we need to implement it.. I believe that this is about building trust, and reaching the second stage is a significant achievement for both the Palestinians in Gaza and the Israelis alike, and we need to live in peace."

Regarding disarming Hamas, Weitkof said, "I believe they will disarm... I met with Hamas... Trump did not hesitate to allow Jared Kushner and me to meet with them in Sharm El Sheikh, and that was the key to the agreement."

When asked if he had influence over Hamas, he said, "When we released the twenty hostages alive, the situation changed for Hamas... they stopped considering the hostages as an asset and began to see them as a burden, and that was the key. I believe we can show them that disarmament is the right choice in the long run."

On the formation of a peace council, the U.S. envoy said, "Trump dreamed of this council... His son-in-law Jared Kushner, my partner, is an exceptional person and the current administration has a great team... The peace council is a great step; Jared and I talked with the members of the technocrat committee, and we were able to form a new government that will replace Hamas forever."

He touched on the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza and the release of Israeli prisoners, saying that for a while he felt despair and that the situation was too complicated because Hamas had backed off from its positions, but in the end, an agreement with Hamas was reached and implemented, committing to work on returning the body of the last prisoner.

He said, "Trump cried... I saw the tears in his eyes and described the day he received the twenty hostages as a great day for the White House," noting that he and Trump considered the issue of Israeli prisoners and their return as something special to them.

Regarding Iran, Weitkof expressed hope for a diplomatic resolution, noting that there are four issues that could be solved diplomatically: the nuclear file, uranium enrichment, the missile stockpile that needs to be reduced, and enriched uranium. He said, "If Iran, which has a collapsing economy and is suffering from water and electricity shortages, and inflation exceeding 50%, wants to return to the commonwealth, then these issues are diplomatically solvable."

On the protests in Iran, the U.S. official said, "President Trump warned the Iranians, and based on his directives, we contacted Iran yesterday... Among our concerns were the imminent executions and the hefty costs that would result from them."

Weitkof added, "That has been canceled. He is the only Trump in the world who has the authority and can influence people."