Miriam Adelson, billionaire donor and longstanding supporter of Donald Trump, was crucial in persuading the president-elect to push Hamas to accept a hostage agreement, Israeli journalist Ben Caspit (Maariv) reported.
Adelson, who at times commanded extraordinary influence over US-Israel relations, reportedly lobbied Trump to take bold action, utilizing her close relationship with the president-elect.
According to Caspit, Adelson’s activism was decisive in persuading Trump to issue what in December was a grave public warning to Hamas, demanding that it release the hostages it had taken. Trump had recently taken to social media, declaring, “The hostages are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will… Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied history of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”
The reports underscore Adelson’s strategic role in US-Israel diplomacy through her relationship with Trump and claim that her influence has helped shape substantial decisions.
Adelson’s influence on Trump goes back to his 2016 presidential campaign, when she and her late husband, Sheldon Adelson, donated more than $100 million. The Adelsons played a crucial role in crafting Trump’s pro-Israel protocols, such as recognizing Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights and moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem.
Adelson has also played a central role in uniting disparate sectors of the Jewish community around Trump’s agenda. Along with co-hosting events with Orthodox, Reform, and secular Jewish leaders about fighting antisemitism and strengthening US-Israel relations. Her reported role in the hostage agreement reinforces her ongoing commitment to advancing these causes.
Hostage negotiations in focus
The hostage deal is being explored amid a precarious security situation for Israel. Hamas’s military wing has reportedly signed up thousands of new fighters, complicating Israel’s military task. The negotiations, backed by Trump, are viewed as a high-stakes effort to alleviate one of the conflict’s most urgent humanitarian crises.
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