Trump names former Abraham Accords negotiator as top hostages official

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump named Adam Boehler, who helped broker the Abraham Accords normalization agreements between Israel and four Arab states, as his top hostage negotiator.

The announcement comes two days after Trump threatened “all hell to pay” in the Middle East unless the Israeli hostages held in Gaza are released by the time Trump assumes the presidency on Jan. 20.

“I am pleased to announce that Adam Boehler will be my Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, with the personal rank of Ambassador,” Trump said in a statement Wednesday he posted to the social media site he owns, Truth Social. “Adam worked for me as a Lead Negotiator on the Abraham Accords team. He has negotiated with some of the toughest people in the World, including the Taliban, but Adam knows that NO ONE is tougher than the United States of America, at least when President Trump is its Leader. Adam will work tirelessly to bring our Great American Citizens HOME.”

Boehler, 43, is Jewish and lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where he runs a health care investment firm and his family belongs to a Reform synagogue. Trump name-checked his family members in his announcement, writing, “Congratulations to Adam, his wife, Shira, and their four beautiful children, Ruth, Abraham, Esther, and Rachel!”

Trump has not explained what he means by “all hell,” but Israeli leaders have welcomed his pledge to bring about the release of 101 hostages believed to be still held by Hamas since Oct. 7. 2023, when the terrorist group launched a war against Israel

Designating Boehler as an ambassador would require Senate confirmation, but Boehler’s experience in the last Trump administration helping to shape Trump’s signature foreign policy accomplishment, suggests that won’t be a problem. Trump noted in his announcement that Boehler won unanimous confirmation in Trump’s first term.

Having ambassadorial rank will make it easier for Boehler to leap bureaucratic hurdles to consult directly with Trump and with Trump’s designated Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.

In his former role, Boehler used financial incentives to encourage countries to come into the Abraham Accords. That tactic is expected to continue as Trump aims for further deals in his second term, especially with Saudi Arabia, which was seen as moving toward normalization with Israel before the outbreak of the Gaza war.

A graduate of Trump’s alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, Boehler roomed during a summer in college with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who was heavily involved in Trump’s first-term Middle East policy.