October 14, 2025 • 18 mins
BEST OF - ABC News Correspondent Jordana Miller reports live from Israel on President Trump’s historic Middle East trip and the signing of the Gaza peace deal. Then, National Security Institute Senior Fellow Lester Munson analyzes the impact of the agreement and what to expect next for U.S. foreign policy and regional stability.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now let's go to the highline and bring an ABC
News correspondent, Jordana Miller, coming to us live from Israel. So, Jordana,
I want to start with what stood out to you
about how everything unfolded yesterday both there in Israel and
in Egypt at that peace summit. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
I think it was a day of national celebrations and
joy and kind of disbelief that Hamas actually followed through
and the twenty living hostages actually were released relatively on time,
and the country just embraced them. Really, I mean, it
was a kind of euphoric day here. And the hostages themselves,
(00:41):
they you know, they were all walking, which I think
was a good sign. They did. A lot of them
were clearly starved because they had lost somewhere between thirty
and forty percent of their body weight. I mean, of
the twenty, there were maybe three or four that looked
okay in terms of their body weight, but the others
(01:02):
really had thinned down. And of course, already by last
night we were hearing from the parents about, you know,
some of the stories of how their children were tortured
and beaten and again starved and kept in you know,
there was one hostage who was kept you know, the
(01:23):
whole time basically in solitary confinement. A couple of them actually,
of the groups that came out, and you know, they
were unaware of the fight here in Israel for their
lives and the war, the many different developments in the
war they had no idea about. And some of them,
you know, were separated from their siblings, didn't know if
their siblings, you know, made it through and survived. For example,
(01:47):
Galle and z v Berman, these twins, they were separated
at the beginning of the war, and they had no
idea that each other, that the other one survived. So
that was really, I mean, very moving day. Parents just
crying and one of them that they have their kids back. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
One was on video digging his own.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Right, that's right, Avatar David was really thin, you know,
really skin and bones. And you know, because that video
created such a backlash against Hamas, I mean, unfortunately, there's
been sympathy for the terrorist group in the last year
of the war, which I find mind boggling, especially among
(02:29):
American students who obviously don't know enough to know that
Hamas does not represent the palest I mean people, and
it was never part of any piece deal, you know, nothing,
It went through no reforms. That was the radical answer
to the PLO, which ultimately accepted the state of Israel.
(02:51):
So I think it was really hard to see, you know,
all of the you know, all of the pain of that.
So many you know, so many people really believed that
Hamas would keep those hostages until really the very very
very last moment and maybe never even give them up. Right,
(03:13):
So it was you know, it was really a joyous day.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
What about the return of the hostages who were killed?
And again we're joined by ABC News correspondent Jordana Miller
coming to us live from Israel. Four bodies have been returned,
twenty four still remain unaccounted for. What are you hearing
about that part of this deal?
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Right, So this morning they've already positively identified two of
the four bodies. One is a non Israeli, a TIE
student that was here doing an agricultural program, josh you
Blippin he was he was killed. The Israeli Army estimates
he was killed in the first months of the war.
(03:58):
And another Israeli Gaylus also killed pretty early in the war.
So those are two bodies back. There's two more that
will likely be identified later today, and then there's still
twenty four bodies missing. And you know, I think the
Israeli government has already said they see this as a violation.
There is a mechanism that was in place to search
(04:20):
for the bodies if Hamas didn't find them. But what
I think has everyone sopeset here is that Hamas gave
the impression to the mediators that they knew where you know,
at least half the bodies were, right, that's fourteen, and
in the end they only turned over.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Four, so.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
You know, we're at the other ten or so. I
think there's going to be a fight now and Israel
we already heard the defense ministers threatening. I think that
a lot of pressure will be put on Hamas, by
the mediators, by the US to find more bodies, and
if not, that there'll be a certain time, you know,
a week or two given for an international task force.
(05:05):
You know, for all the joy yesterday, the families, you know,
who just want to give their loved ones proper burial
for them, it was a bit of a blow last
night when the news came down that really they were
only going to be turning over four bodies.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Were joined by ABC News correspondent Jordana Miller, I want
to ask you about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah, who there
was news earlier yesterday that President Trump had worked out
a deal inviting him to that peace summit in Egypt,
which would have been a huge deal for him to
have been there. He ends up deciding not to go.
(05:43):
What have you learned about that decision and how has
it been received in Israel?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
So I think it was I think it would have
been really complicated for him to have gone to Sharmilshek.
On the one hand, you're right, it would have been
a victory and send a message about what's coming next,
right this regional US Israeli coalition that are determined to
prevent Hamas from returning, rebuilding right and launching more attacks
(06:12):
in the future. On the other hand, I think, you know,
it was a day of really national joy after two
years of a lot of difficult days here and today
last night, in today's the Jewish holiday, that actually was
the day on the Jewish calendar that Hamas attacked, and
(06:35):
so that means for almost twelve hundred families. I mean,
in Jewish tradition, you honor the day on the Jewish
calendar is what's called the art site. The day of
death and the memory of it is called the art site.
So there are hundreds of families that are actually grieving
today too, because it's actually the day that their loved
ones were killed two years ago. And on top of that,
(06:58):
remember Natanya is still in a wing government and you know,
for him to be hob nobbing or seen to be
hob nobbing with the Palestinian president before any reforms were
done right through the PA and we hear that the
Turkish president was like, if that TANIAO goes, I'm not going.
And that would have been that would have been difficult
(07:20):
for the US to stomach because Airdwan did play the
Turkish president played a big role in helping close this deal.
So I think there were just too many complicating factors
and there'll be plenty. I think there'll be plenty of time,
you know, for Natania to be on the stage with
(07:40):
the US and others as they work through what's coming next.
And you know, if indeed this is the dawn of
you know, a new day in the Middle East, I
have to say for Israelis and you know, for me,
I've been covering this war so intimately. You know, there
is something about coming full circle to a you know,
(08:02):
knowing that this is two years you know that two
years ago, you know, I was standing you know, in
my pajamas, reporting, you know, around the clock until late
into the evening. And this time, you know, I was.
I had a chance to go back to synagogue today
and you know, the reading for today on this holiday
is the very first, the first few you know, the
(08:27):
first portion of the Old Testament, that is this is Genesis.
This is the day that we kind of restart our
year and we we read Genesis right, and so I
thought it's fitting, you know that where the war has ended,
just in time for you know, God willing, we'll reset
things for the future.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
ABC News correspondent Jordanah Miller comings was live from Israel. Jordana,
always appreciate the time and insight. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Talk soon, bro.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
I want to pick it up with Lester months in
National Security Institute, see your fellow joining us to talk
about the impact of this peace deal and what to
watch for next. Lester, always appreciate when you can come
on the show and share some insight. And let me
start with just what you think this peace deal could
potentially mean for the region, assuming things remain on track.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Well, the potential Ryan, good morning. By the way, it's
the potential is huge. This is a what could be
a very very significant deal for the region. There's no
doubt Hamas has agreed, you know, has already released the hostages,
which is a tremendous, tremendous and wonderful thing. They've agreed
(09:43):
to disarm. They have agreed they won't be part of
governing Gaza in the future. The Arab states and the region,
plus Turkey plus others are all behind this. You can
really see that there is actually a path forward out
of the conflict wilderness here, and it's because of President Trump.
(10:03):
His personal diplomacy, his willingness to take a bunch of
risks to get this done is why we're here, and
he deserves a ton of credit.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
To me moving forward. I think this is really on
those Arab countries in the region. I mean, President Trump
got this deal done, but they're the ones who are
going to have to make sure that Gaza is secure.
They're the ones who are going to have to come
up with this governing body. I mean, I know President
(10:33):
Trump and his administration will be involved but I just
feel like, you know, we've heard for for decades how
concerned they are for the plight of the Palestinian people,
and now's the time to show that with getting Gaza
under control, getting it governed in a responsible way, and
then providing the resources to rebuild it.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
That's right, and there's and there's two big reasons there
that they want to that they've signed up for this,
aside from the kind of personal diplomacy level. One is
Iran is in a corner. Israel has run the table
against their proxy forces in the region. The Trump administration
helped by striking at the nuclear weapons program a few
months ago. So you've seen you've seen the real dynamics
(11:18):
on the ground change. Also a very under reported story,
Hamas is way less popular with the Palestinian people than
it's been. There were protests against Hamas and Gaza that
that Hamas suppressed and beat down and attacked. You didn't
see a lot of coverage of that, but it happened.
So there's there's been real changes. People are tired of
(11:39):
the fighting. There's there's a big opportunity here.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
What about the power vacuum that we're seeing right now?
And again We're joined by Lester Munson, National Security Institute
Senior fellow. Their reports that you know, Hamas is trying
to organize now that Israel has pulled back from parts
of Gaza in this next step, trying to get them
to disarm and step aside. What are some of the
(12:04):
things you're watching for to see how that proceeds, right?
Speaker 3 (12:07):
And one of the other issues is the return of
the bodies of the hostages who are murdered. There's another
twenty or so bodies that need to be returned. That's
very important. I think. I think one of the things
we're seeing here is kind of the collapse of Hamas
as an organized entity. Their leadership has been destroyed. There's
a lot of folks on the ground who are kind
(12:29):
of making their own decisions outside of a real structure.
And so I think you're gonna you're gonna cease a
lot of bumps on the road here. We should be
pretty candid. There's a lot of challenges that remain, which
include that folks on the Hamas side of things could
kind of take things into their own hands and decide
they don't really like this deal and they want to
keep fighting. I suspect We're going to see some of
(12:52):
that we may have already begun, and there's going to
need to be As you pointed out, this the Arab
states in the region, some of the other actors are
going to have to play a role here in ferreting
that out, putting an end to it, supporting the Israelis
when they deal with it in a tough way.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
I don't know about you, but I got the sense
that President Trump might be re energized when it comes
to trying to solve the situation between Russia and Ukraine
coming off of this tremendous deal that he managed to
get implemented with Israel and Hamas. He's going to be
(13:28):
meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenski later this week. But
how optimistic are you that what we've seen in the
Middle East could in any way help what we're seeing
still between Russia and Ukraine. I just feel like Vladimir
Putin's is a bit of a different animal.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Well, it's the question to ask Ryan, and I hope
that that President Trump can build on this one thing
we should keep on. You know, Hamas digs tunnels, Russia
builds nuclear weapons. This I'm stealing this from Walter Russell
meeting The Wall Street Journal today. It's a great line
that the level of difficulty is much higher, but President
(14:12):
Trump has restored real deterrence, the real threat of American
military action. We cannot underestimate how important to strike on
Iran was direct US military action against the Iranians. As
Russia continues to fight in Ukraine and sends MiGs and
drones over NATO countries into NATO airspace, Putin's going to
(14:35):
need a punch in the face. Is President Trump willing
to do it working with NATO allies? That's probably going
to have to happen to get us to the right
place on the Ukraine question.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
National security is to senior fellow Lester Munson with us.
You can follow him on x for lots more analysis
at Lester Munson and make sure to check out the
fault Lines podcast, which you can find on iHeartRadio. Lester
always appreciate time and insight. Thanks so much, Thanks Ryan,
Thank you. Ronk revied from Axios as plugged in as
anyone into everything happening in the Middle East, and he
(15:05):
had a really fascinating report yesterday. So according to him,
President Trump's envoys Steve Wikoff and Jared Kushner. They secretly
met with Hamas leaders last Wednesday in Egypt, and he
says this was a move that directly led to the
Gaza peace deal. So Hamas was worried that Israel would
(15:25):
restart the war once the hostages were released. That was
their leverage. Wik Koff and Kushner assured them that Trump
wouldn't allow that if Hamas honored its commitments. So the
day before the meeting, Trump personally gave them permission in
the Oval Office to meet Hamas leaders if needed to
finalize a deal. Then, after arriving in Charmel Shaik, Katari
(15:46):
mediators told the envoys the talks were stuck and they
asked if they'd meet Hamas directly. A Katari official said,
if you shake their hand, there will be a deal.
Around eleven pm Wednesday, wik Koff and Kushner met Hamas officials,
including a Hamas leader who had recently survived in Israeli airstrike,
Oh Jeez. Wickkof told Hamas the hostages were now a liability,
(16:10):
not an asset. Basically, longer you keep you know these hostages,
the more Israel's going to keep going into Gaza and
taking everything out, and when the Hamas leader asked if
they carried a message from Trump, wick Koff said, Trump
stands behind all twenty points of his peace plan and
would ensure they're implemented. Minutes later, the mediators returned and announced,
(16:32):
we've got a deal. So that gives you a sense
as to first of all, the importance of Steve Wicoff
and Jeri Kushner and all of this, and how Hamas
viewed Trump's word, how important that was in getting them
to agree to the steal. Now you hear Trump sometimes say,
you know, the war would never started if he was
president back in twenty twenty, Like, I don't know if
(16:53):
that's the case or not. Hamas was plotting this for
a long time. They knew Israel was going to respond.
I don't know that who was the president here in
the US made much of a difference. But I think
there is absolutely no question it wouldn't have ended if
Biden or Kamala Harris were in office right now. Absolutely not.
(17:13):
There's no way. I think the relationships with other countries
in the region that not only President Trump, but people
like Steve Wikoff and Jared Kushner have I think that
was a huge, huge difference here, and I think that
was the biggest difference in getting this done, along with
what Israel has done over the course of the past
(17:35):
two years, just decimating Hamas, decimating has Ballah, decimating Iran.
I mean, they have settled all scores in the region
and they have shown the region they are the power
in that part of the world. So I think all
of that came together to allow for this deal to
be done. We're going to talk more about what comes
next at eight thirty five this morning with National Security
(17:57):
Institute senior fellow Lester money Since to make sure you're
here for that
Speaker 3 (18:02):
The Ryan Gorman Show five to nine every weekday morning
on news radio WFLA.
Now let's go to the highline and bring an ABC
News correspondent, Jordana Miller, coming to us live from Israel. So, Jordana,
I want to start with what stood out to you
about how everything unfolded yesterday both there in Israel and
in Egypt at that peace summit. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
I think it was a day of national celebrations and
joy and kind of disbelief that Hamas actually followed through
and the twenty living hostages actually were released relatively on time,
and the country just embraced them. Really, I mean, it
was a kind of euphoric day here. And the hostages themselves,
(00:41):
they you know, they were all walking, which I think
was a good sign. They did. A lot of them
were clearly starved because they had lost somewhere between thirty
and forty percent of their body weight. I mean, of
the twenty, there were maybe three or four that looked
okay in terms of their body weight, but the others
(01:02):
really had thinned down. And of course, already by last
night we were hearing from the parents about, you know,
some of the stories of how their children were tortured
and beaten and again starved and kept in you know,
there was one hostage who was kept you know, the
(01:23):
whole time basically in solitary confinement. A couple of them actually,
of the groups that came out, and you know, they
were unaware of the fight here in Israel for their
lives and the war, the many different developments in the
war they had no idea about. And some of them,
you know, were separated from their siblings, didn't know if
their siblings, you know, made it through and survived. For example,
(01:47):
Galle and z v Berman, these twins, they were separated
at the beginning of the war, and they had no
idea that each other, that the other one survived. So
that was really, I mean, very moving day. Parents just
crying and one of them that they have their kids back. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
One was on video digging his own.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Right, that's right, Avatar David was really thin, you know,
really skin and bones. And you know, because that video
created such a backlash against Hamas, I mean, unfortunately, there's
been sympathy for the terrorist group in the last year
of the war, which I find mind boggling, especially among
(02:29):
American students who obviously don't know enough to know that
Hamas does not represent the palest I mean people, and
it was never part of any piece deal, you know, nothing,
It went through no reforms. That was the radical answer
to the PLO, which ultimately accepted the state of Israel.
(02:51):
So I think it was really hard to see, you know,
all of the you know, all of the pain of that.
So many you know, so many people really believed that
Hamas would keep those hostages until really the very very
very last moment and maybe never even give them up. Right,
(03:13):
So it was you know, it was really a joyous day.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
What about the return of the hostages who were killed?
And again we're joined by ABC News correspondent Jordana Miller
coming to us live from Israel. Four bodies have been returned,
twenty four still remain unaccounted for. What are you hearing
about that part of this deal?
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Right, So this morning they've already positively identified two of
the four bodies. One is a non Israeli, a TIE
student that was here doing an agricultural program, josh you
Blippin he was he was killed. The Israeli Army estimates
he was killed in the first months of the war.
(03:58):
And another Israeli Gaylus also killed pretty early in the war.
So those are two bodies back. There's two more that
will likely be identified later today, and then there's still
twenty four bodies missing. And you know, I think the
Israeli government has already said they see this as a violation.
There is a mechanism that was in place to search
(04:20):
for the bodies if Hamas didn't find them. But what
I think has everyone sopeset here is that Hamas gave
the impression to the mediators that they knew where you know,
at least half the bodies were, right, that's fourteen, and
in the end they only turned over.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Four, so.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
You know, we're at the other ten or so. I
think there's going to be a fight now and Israel
we already heard the defense ministers threatening. I think that
a lot of pressure will be put on Hamas, by
the mediators, by the US to find more bodies, and
if not, that there'll be a certain time, you know,
a week or two given for an international task force.
(05:05):
You know, for all the joy yesterday, the families, you know,
who just want to give their loved ones proper burial
for them, it was a bit of a blow last
night when the news came down that really they were
only going to be turning over four bodies.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Were joined by ABC News correspondent Jordana Miller, I want
to ask you about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah, who there
was news earlier yesterday that President Trump had worked out
a deal inviting him to that peace summit in Egypt,
which would have been a huge deal for him to
have been there. He ends up deciding not to go.
(05:43):
What have you learned about that decision and how has
it been received in Israel?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
So I think it was I think it would have
been really complicated for him to have gone to Sharmilshek.
On the one hand, you're right, it would have been
a victory and send a message about what's coming next,
right this regional US Israeli coalition that are determined to
prevent Hamas from returning, rebuilding right and launching more attacks
(06:12):
in the future. On the other hand, I think, you know,
it was a day of really national joy after two
years of a lot of difficult days here and today
last night, in today's the Jewish holiday, that actually was
the day on the Jewish calendar that Hamas attacked, and
(06:35):
so that means for almost twelve hundred families. I mean,
in Jewish tradition, you honor the day on the Jewish
calendar is what's called the art site. The day of
death and the memory of it is called the art site.
So there are hundreds of families that are actually grieving
today too, because it's actually the day that their loved
ones were killed two years ago. And on top of that,
(06:58):
remember Natanya is still in a wing government and you know,
for him to be hob nobbing or seen to be
hob nobbing with the Palestinian president before any reforms were
done right through the PA and we hear that the
Turkish president was like, if that TANIAO goes, I'm not going.
And that would have been that would have been difficult
(07:20):
for the US to stomach because Airdwan did play the
Turkish president played a big role in helping close this deal.
So I think there were just too many complicating factors
and there'll be plenty. I think there'll be plenty of time,
you know, for Natania to be on the stage with
(07:40):
the US and others as they work through what's coming next.
And you know, if indeed this is the dawn of
you know, a new day in the Middle East, I
have to say for Israelis and you know, for me,
I've been covering this war so intimately. You know, there
is something about coming full circle to a you know,
(08:02):
knowing that this is two years you know that two
years ago, you know, I was standing you know, in
my pajamas, reporting, you know, around the clock until late
into the evening. And this time, you know, I was.
I had a chance to go back to synagogue today
and you know, the reading for today on this holiday
is the very first, the first few you know, the
(08:27):
first portion of the Old Testament, that is this is Genesis.
This is the day that we kind of restart our
year and we we read Genesis right, and so I
thought it's fitting, you know that where the war has ended,
just in time for you know, God willing, we'll reset
things for the future.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
ABC News correspondent Jordanah Miller comings was live from Israel. Jordana,
always appreciate the time and insight. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Talk soon, bro.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
I want to pick it up with Lester months in
National Security Institute, see your fellow joining us to talk
about the impact of this peace deal and what to
watch for next. Lester, always appreciate when you can come
on the show and share some insight. And let me
start with just what you think this peace deal could
potentially mean for the region, assuming things remain on track.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Well, the potential Ryan, good morning. By the way, it's
the potential is huge. This is a what could be
a very very significant deal for the region. There's no
doubt Hamas has agreed, you know, has already released the hostages,
which is a tremendous, tremendous and wonderful thing. They've agreed
(09:43):
to disarm. They have agreed they won't be part of
governing Gaza in the future. The Arab states and the region,
plus Turkey plus others are all behind this. You can
really see that there is actually a path forward out
of the conflict wilderness here, and it's because of President Trump.
(10:03):
His personal diplomacy, his willingness to take a bunch of
risks to get this done is why we're here, and
he deserves a ton of credit.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
To me moving forward. I think this is really on
those Arab countries in the region. I mean, President Trump
got this deal done, but they're the ones who are
going to have to make sure that Gaza is secure.
They're the ones who are going to have to come
up with this governing body. I mean, I know President
(10:33):
Trump and his administration will be involved but I just
feel like, you know, we've heard for for decades how
concerned they are for the plight of the Palestinian people,
and now's the time to show that with getting Gaza
under control, getting it governed in a responsible way, and
then providing the resources to rebuild it.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
That's right, and there's and there's two big reasons there
that they want to that they've signed up for this,
aside from the kind of personal diplomacy level. One is
Iran is in a corner. Israel has run the table
against their proxy forces in the region. The Trump administration
helped by striking at the nuclear weapons program a few
months ago. So you've seen you've seen the real dynamics
(11:18):
on the ground change. Also a very under reported story,
Hamas is way less popular with the Palestinian people than
it's been. There were protests against Hamas and Gaza that
that Hamas suppressed and beat down and attacked. You didn't
see a lot of coverage of that, but it happened.
So there's there's been real changes. People are tired of
(11:39):
the fighting. There's there's a big opportunity here.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
What about the power vacuum that we're seeing right now?
And again We're joined by Lester Munson, National Security Institute
Senior fellow. Their reports that you know, Hamas is trying
to organize now that Israel has pulled back from parts
of Gaza in this next step, trying to get them
to disarm and step aside. What are some of the
(12:04):
things you're watching for to see how that proceeds, right?
Speaker 3 (12:07):
And one of the other issues is the return of
the bodies of the hostages who are murdered. There's another
twenty or so bodies that need to be returned. That's
very important. I think. I think one of the things
we're seeing here is kind of the collapse of Hamas
as an organized entity. Their leadership has been destroyed. There's
a lot of folks on the ground who are kind
(12:29):
of making their own decisions outside of a real structure.
And so I think you're gonna you're gonna cease a
lot of bumps on the road here. We should be
pretty candid. There's a lot of challenges that remain, which
include that folks on the Hamas side of things could
kind of take things into their own hands and decide
they don't really like this deal and they want to
keep fighting. I suspect We're going to see some of
(12:52):
that we may have already begun, and there's going to
need to be As you pointed out, this the Arab
states in the region, some of the other actors are
going to have to play a role here in ferreting
that out, putting an end to it, supporting the Israelis
when they deal with it in a tough way.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
I don't know about you, but I got the sense
that President Trump might be re energized when it comes
to trying to solve the situation between Russia and Ukraine
coming off of this tremendous deal that he managed to
get implemented with Israel and Hamas. He's going to be
(13:28):
meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenski later this week. But
how optimistic are you that what we've seen in the
Middle East could in any way help what we're seeing
still between Russia and Ukraine. I just feel like Vladimir
Putin's is a bit of a different animal.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Well, it's the question to ask Ryan, and I hope
that that President Trump can build on this one thing
we should keep on. You know, Hamas digs tunnels, Russia
builds nuclear weapons. This I'm stealing this from Walter Russell
meeting The Wall Street Journal today. It's a great line
that the level of difficulty is much higher, but President
(14:12):
Trump has restored real deterrence, the real threat of American
military action. We cannot underestimate how important to strike on
Iran was direct US military action against the Iranians. As
Russia continues to fight in Ukraine and sends MiGs and
drones over NATO countries into NATO airspace, Putin's going to
(14:35):
need a punch in the face. Is President Trump willing
to do it working with NATO allies? That's probably going
to have to happen to get us to the right
place on the Ukraine question.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
National security is to senior fellow Lester Munson with us.
You can follow him on x for lots more analysis
at Lester Munson and make sure to check out the
fault Lines podcast, which you can find on iHeartRadio. Lester
always appreciate time and insight. Thanks so much, Thanks Ryan,
Thank you. Ronk revied from Axios as plugged in as
anyone into everything happening in the Middle East, and he
(15:05):
had a really fascinating report yesterday. So according to him,
President Trump's envoys Steve Wikoff and Jared Kushner. They secretly
met with Hamas leaders last Wednesday in Egypt, and he
says this was a move that directly led to the
Gaza peace deal. So Hamas was worried that Israel would
(15:25):
restart the war once the hostages were released. That was
their leverage. Wik Koff and Kushner assured them that Trump
wouldn't allow that if Hamas honored its commitments. So the
day before the meeting, Trump personally gave them permission in
the Oval Office to meet Hamas leaders if needed to
finalize a deal. Then, after arriving in Charmel Shaik, Katari
(15:46):
mediators told the envoys the talks were stuck and they
asked if they'd meet Hamas directly. A Katari official said,
if you shake their hand, there will be a deal.
Around eleven pm Wednesday, wik Koff and Kushner met Hamas officials,
including a Hamas leader who had recently survived in Israeli airstrike,
Oh Jeez. Wickkof told Hamas the hostages were now a liability,
(16:10):
not an asset. Basically, longer you keep you know these hostages,
the more Israel's going to keep going into Gaza and
taking everything out, and when the Hamas leader asked if
they carried a message from Trump, wick Koff said, Trump
stands behind all twenty points of his peace plan and
would ensure they're implemented. Minutes later, the mediators returned and announced,
(16:32):
we've got a deal. So that gives you a sense
as to first of all, the importance of Steve Wicoff
and Jeri Kushner and all of this, and how Hamas
viewed Trump's word, how important that was in getting them
to agree to the steal. Now you hear Trump sometimes say,
you know, the war would never started if he was
president back in twenty twenty, Like, I don't know if
(16:53):
that's the case or not. Hamas was plotting this for
a long time. They knew Israel was going to respond.
I don't know that who was the president here in
the US made much of a difference. But I think
there is absolutely no question it wouldn't have ended if
Biden or Kamala Harris were in office right now. Absolutely not.
(17:13):
There's no way. I think the relationships with other countries
in the region that not only President Trump, but people
like Steve Wikoff and Jared Kushner have I think that
was a huge, huge difference here, and I think that
was the biggest difference in getting this done, along with
what Israel has done over the course of the past
(17:35):
two years, just decimating Hamas, decimating has Ballah, decimating Iran.
I mean, they have settled all scores in the region
and they have shown the region they are the power
in that part of the world. So I think all
of that came together to allow for this deal to
be done. We're going to talk more about what comes
next at eight thirty five this morning with National Security
(17:57):
Institute senior fellow Lester money Since to make sure you're
here for that
Speaker 3 (18:02):
The Ryan Gorman Show five to nine every weekday morning
on news radio WFLA.
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