Republican Congressman Michael Waltz, who was appointed by US President-elect Donald Trump as National Security Advisor, gave his opinions on the upcoming administration’s foreign policy towards the Middle East situation. . In an interview with commentator Ben Shapiro broadcast on December 22, Mr. Waltz urged Hamas to release the hostages soon before Mr. Trump takes office on January 20, 2025.
Mr. Trump issued an ultimatum threatening ‘disaster’ to those holding hostages in Gaza
According to the sheet The Times of IsraelMr. Waltz said that the four American hostages were held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip longer than the Americans captured in the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.
“That is completely unacceptable. Overall, I think they were not warned enough about the consequences. That’s what we need to tell these groups. If you arrest an American, you will There will be a very high price to pay. There will be nothing more than financial consequences for you and maybe a bullet in the forehead,” Mr. Waltz said. The congressman was a member of the US Army’s Green Beret special forces.
Congressman Michael Waltz, who was nominated by President-elect Trump to be National Security Advisor
Hamas and forces in the Gaza Strip are said to still be holding 96 hostages, of which the Israeli military says 34 have died. President-elect Trump previously issued a similar warning to Mr. Waltz but did not specify a hostage rescue plan. Officials in the administration of outgoing President Joe Biden recently appeared cautiously optimistic about the prospects for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, but no agreement has yet been announced.
In the interview, Mr. Waltz praised Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the campaign to blow up the messengers of the Hezbollah force in Lebanon in September. Mr. Waltz said that the campaign could be made into a movie and praised it was the most effective covert campaign in modern history, weakening Hezbollah and also exposing the weakness of its ally Iran.
The congressman said that Hamas is more isolated than ever and has only one way to survive. “All exits for Hamas have been blocked except for the only one, which is to release the hostages if they want to live,” Mr. Waltz said, suggesting the possibility that Hamas could exist, contrary to Mr. Netanyahu’s view on destroy this force.
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America will watch Iran
Regarding Iran, Mr. Waltz said that this country has been exposed and is facing two options: to quickly move towards possessing nuclear weapons or vice versa to avoid provoking Israel. “We will wait and see which way they will choose. I don’t want to reveal our plans but we are watching very closely,” Mr. Waltz said.
On the other hand, Mr. Waltz criticized President Biden for removing the “foreign terrorist organization” (FTO) label from the Houthi, an ally of Hamas in Yemen, in 2021. Mr. Waltz announced that he will soon reverse this decision.
Houthi forces parade in Sanaa (Yemen) on December 18
In addition, Congressman Waltz predicted that there is a good opportunity to reach an agreement to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, an influential Arab country in the region.
Israel in 2020 normalized relations with the UAE and Bahrain under the mediation of the US administration led by Donald Trump at that time and is aiming for a similar agreement with Saudi Arabia. Israel and Saudi Arabia both view Iran as a regional rival and Mr. Waltz believes that is the key point for the two countries to reach an agreement to normalize relations. However, Hamas’ attack on Israel and Tel Aviv’s military response in Gaza afterward brought the Palestinian issue back to center stage.
Mr. Waltz said the parties were close to an agreement, but Iran “put the wheels in motion” when it “sparked” Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Iran has repeatedly denied any involvement.
