U.S. Hostage Envoy Adam Boehler defended the United States’s negotiating directly with the Hamas terrorist group, though he acknowledged why Israeli officials were upset over the move. The Trump administration has been negotiating directly with Hamas over the release of its hostages,

Washington is turning its attention away from direct talks with Hamas, after those talks sparked concerns in Israel and produced little result.

Administration officials cited a rarely used provision that allows people’s removal if they present “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”