Bishara Bahbah with American President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. (Credit: @BahbahBishara/X)
In late April, Bishara Bahbah received a surprising phone call. On the other end of the line was Ghazi Hamad, a senior official in Hamas' political bureau, who told the American-Palestinian business consultant and founder of Arab-Americans for Trump that Hamas was ready to release all the hostages in exchange for a permanent cease-fire. It was to Bahbah that Hamas turned in an attempt to get through to the Trump administration.“He asked me to transmit a message to American authorities," the 67-year-old told the Israel's Channel 12 news last week. "And that's what I did.”Bahbah had no illusions about his position within American foreign policy. “Obviously, if I were in Steve Witkoff’s position, I would have said to myself, ‘Who the hell is he to be talking to me?’” he told Channel 12. But the U.S. special envoy to...
In late April, Bishara Bahbah received a surprising phone call. On the other end of the line was Ghazi Hamad, a senior official in Hamas' political bureau, who told the American-Palestinian business consultant and founder of Arab-Americans for Trump that Hamas was ready to release all the hostages in exchange for a permanent cease-fire. It was to Bahbah that Hamas turned in an attempt to get through to the Trump administration.“He asked me to transmit a message to American authorities," the 67-year-old told the Israel's Channel 12 news last week. "And that's what I did.”Bahbah had no illusions about his position within American foreign policy. “Obviously, if I were in Steve Witkoff’s position, I would have said to myself, ‘Who the hell is he to be talking to me?’” he told Channel 12. But the U.S....