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151: Could the hostages have come home sooner? With Brett McGurk

Ask Haviv Anything

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What actually brought hostages home, and why did it take so long? Brett McGurk, who led Biden’s efforts to free the October 7 hostages, joins Haviv to discuss his new book, Brink: Inside the Race to Free the October 7th Hostages. From secret Saudi talks to the showdown over Rafah, he describes the decisions, failures and breakthroughs behind the negotiations -- and why he concluded that a deal would remain out of reach while Yahya Sinwar was alive.

You can buy the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo....

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This episode is sponsored by a friend of the podcast, Professor Robert Hockett, a Rhodes Scholar and professor of law and finance at Cornell University, who wishes regularly to support this podcast and this community, he writes us, which in his words “demonstrate with astonishing frequency that theology and history in the Middle East do not code easily as Western left or right, and that treating these subjects deeply, not facily, actually makes them more comprehensible, not more obscure or intractable.”

Thank you so much to Prof. Hockett for his support.

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Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction of Brett McGurk and his background
01:54 Why Brett McGurk wrote 'Brink' and the book's focus
05:55 US-Saudi relations and regional diplomacy in 2021-2022
12:04 The deterioration and potential repair of US-Saudi ties
19:46 The regional impact of US foreign policy decisions
24:58 The outbreak of the October 7th attack and initial US response
29:56 Israeli and American perspectives during the crisis
35:03 The debate over Israeli military actions in Gaza
40:00 Hostage negotiations and the role of Sinwar and Hamas
45:06 The influence of regional actors like Iran and Hezbollah
50:09 The cultural differences in military planning between Israel and the US
54:55 The importance of timing and deadlines in negotiations
01:00:11 The final stages of hostage negotiations and deal-making
01:05:13 Reflections on the ongoing conflict and future prospects

20 Comments

@MrElliotc02 1 day ago

I just want to thank Brett McGurk for his genuine humanity. He's a good man.

@VincentFulco 2 days ago

U.S. is fortunate to have you. Obviously these processes have pained you greatly and still you strive to do what is best.

@maria9567 1 day ago

I like a man who takes long pauses.

@LovingNYC2000 2 days ago

This interview reaffirms my worst fears about what was actually going on inside the Biden administration. Their pettiness about the Abraham Accords may have squandered a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Then all of their assessments of the war after October 7 were exactly wrong. Haviv was incredibly patient but it’s embarrassing to listen to this guy as a luminary at the top of the American government. So many questions I want to ask about the Biden admin conduct and how they actually created the conditions that have so badly isolated Israel of late.

@lorozeetzeyoter 1 day ago

What an amazing guy.

The type of guy that makes you trust the USA still has remarkable people.

@Nonedafhn 2 days ago

Gratitude from not just Israelis but Diaspora Jews, naturalized US citizens who were granted refuge from Soviet era tyranny, etc. Mr. McGurk has been a tremendous asset to US foreign policy regardless of Presidential administration.

@RaulRodriguez-z1z 1 day ago

Perhaps a very nice man with good intentions, but negotiate with terrorist with an administration that is afraid of every move was never going to succed. Their insecurity and weakness was palpable.

@joanroth8594 1 day ago

Wow, sad and depressing, a very good interview.

@marros1445 1 day ago (edited)

Excellent episode, and heartbreaking given the pain and suffering which will continue in the region.

@DitDede 20 hours ago

Thanks for the interview. It's good to hear how things looked from the US gov perspective.
Liked and hyped 3 times.

@MarioBishara 2 days ago

Hello Haviv, Egyptian citizen here, we are not at all happy about surrendering our islands to the Saudis, and once we get rid of the July regime we will work on getting them back, even though I fully support peace with Israel and increasing cooperation !

@ונדימור 1 day ago

Thank you Brett for bringing some clarity and for all your hard work.❤

@Beretta249 1 day ago

Respect to Brett McGurk for playing his role so earnestly. And for being honest about US mistakes. The shocking hubris of failing to seal a history-making deal with Saudi Arabia because the deal is imperfect will never be forgotten -if we're lucky.

I think negotiation in the ME requires something, particularly on topics like hostages, that US politics can't embrace: callousness to the point of cruelty. There is no assumption of mutual success. There is no assumption of negotiating in good faith. There is force and the threat of force. There is facing hard sacrifices and above all else there is taking your enemy seriously when they make an ideological claim. And we in the USA do all these things terribly poorly.