Israeli American advocates and the family of a freed Israeli hostage are sounding the alarm over President Donald Trump’s willingness to accept a “free” luxury jet from Qatar, pointing to the country’s close relationship with Iran and its long-standing support for Hamas leaders.
While the release of Israeli American Edan Alexander on Monday after more than 19 months in Hamas captivity is being widely celebrated, critics caution that Qatar, despite its role as a key mediator in hostage negotiations, remains an untrustworthy broker due to its deep ties with the terrorist group behind the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
Elizabeth Savetsky, an American social media influencer and pro-Israel activist, posted a series of videos on Monday, expressing deep concern over Trump’s Middle East trip this week, criticizing his decision to skip Israel and questioning reported ties with Qatar. Savetsky has publicly expressed support for Trump, particularly regarding his policies on Israel and combating antisemitism.
“Obviously, Trump has an incredible track record when it comes to Israel during his first term, but the people that were around him during the first term are very different from the people that are around him now,” Savetsky said in a video on Monday.
“If these things were happening under Biden or under Harris, we would be sounding the alarm 100-fold, taking gifts from Qatar, the same country responsible for housing Hamas terrorists, funding terrorism, and influencing anti-American, antisemitic ideologies that are taking over our college campuses. This is truly shocking,” she added.
“How can we be OK with a $400 million gift to our president when we were so distraught over the hundreds of millions that they infused into our academic institutions? How can we not be upset about Trump skipping over Israel this week when we were livid about Obama doing the same thing on his Middle East tour. We have to uphold the same standard across the board.”
The news of the luxury plane gift comes as Trump jets off to the Middle East with stops in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, while bypassing Israel, as he’s grown more critical of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
News that Alexander may meet Trump in Qatar after his release raised concerns about optics.
“It would be a bad look to parade him around the country that housed the very terrorists who were responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre,” said a foreign policy adviser to a GOP senator, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “I think many of us would prefer the meeting to happen either in Israel or the United States.”
“My advice to the administration, tread lightly when it comes to Qatar,” the adviser said.
Trump, for his part, has welcomed the idea of a free luxury jet from Qatar after he’s long complained that Air Force One, the presidential plane, is outdated. Trump said the Boeing 747-8 jet could be retired to his future presidential library once it’s decommissioned as a presidential plane.
“I think that was a very nice gesture,” Trump said at the White House on Monday. “Now, I could be a stupid person, say, ‘Oh no, we don’t want a free plane.’ We give free things out. We’ll take one, too, and it helps us out.”
Laura Loomer, a staunch ally of Trump, slammed accepting a new Air Force One jet as a gift from “jihadists in suits,” in a post on X. She also said that Alexander should go home and that he “doesn’t need to be paraded around in Qatar.”
Michael Levy, whose brother Or Levy was abducted from the Nova music festival in Israel on Oct. 7 and released in February, said each hostage release brings a sense of hope, but also a painful reminder of those still in captivity.
“All the families deserve this happy ending to somehow start recovering from this horrible nightmare,” Levy said in an interview with the Washington Examiner. “So we all have to keep doing everything to bring everyone back. It doesn’t matter if they’re Americans, Israeli, Thai, or anything else. They all, at the end of the day, are human beings, and they all deserve to be home.”
HAMAS GIVES EDAN ALEXANDER, THE LAST LIVING AMERICAN HELD BY GROUP, TO RED CROSS
Levy urged caution in U.S. dealings with Qatar, noting its role in financing Hamas and sheltering the group’s leaders. He called on the international community to step up pressure on the Gulf nation.
“The Qataris are playing a game here – they are responsible. They are financing Hamas,” he said. “At the end of the day, they are financing Hamas. They are hosting commerce leaders, and they have to be pressured in order to make Hamas release all the hostages.”
While acknowledging concerns over Qatar’s role, Levy expressed deep gratitude to Trump, crediting him with helping secure his brother’s release.
“I appreciate President Trump. I think that without him, my brother wouldn’t be back home, and I will thank him forever for this,” he said. “But once again, I think the Qataris have to be pressured to deal with Hamas and take responsibility.”
While some pro-Israel Republicans recognize that accepting a $400 million gift from a foreign government is bound to raise legal, ethical, and security questions, they’re holding back criticism for now, opting to give Trump space to navigate the negotiations before weighing in.
“You’re dealing with the most pro-Israel president in our lifetimes. And so anybody who is going to tell you that it’s not the case is, you know, detached from the reality of the situation and not plugged into what’s actually going on on the ground, and not talking to actual people that know what’s going on,” said a Jewish Republican strategist, granted permission to speak anonymously.
“There’s no question that the president has earned a lot of leeway when it comes to these issues because of his historic successes in the first term,” the person added. “You have a lot of allies, you know, in the pro-Israel community, who will give him the benefit of the doubt they trust him implicitly to do what’s best, not just for the United States, but for our allies and key allies, including Israel.”
Thank you @POTUS & @SteveWitkoff for helping free Edan.
For 584 days, Hamas has despicably held Edan hostage. 58 hostages, including 4 Americans, are still in Hamas’ hands.
America must continue to stand with Israel as it fights to free all the hostages & drive Hamas from Gaza. https://t.co/TBsz5Mzvpp
— AIPAC 🇺🇸🇮🇱🎗️ (@AIPAC) May 12, 2025
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has not commented on the developments out of Qatar, but praised the Trump administration’s work to free Alexander and continued to push to free the remaining hostages in a post on X.
“For 584 days, Hamas has despicably held Edan hostage. 58 hostages, including 4 Americans, are still in Hamas’ hands,” the powerful lobbyist group wrote. “America must continue to stand with Israel as it fights to free all the hostages & drive Hamas from Gaza.”
Meanwhile, pro-Israel groups aligned with Democrats condemned Trump’s welcoming of a luxury jet from Qatar, denouncing it as a reckless and unethical move that undermines U.S. credibility and stokes fears of foreign influence, especially since the deal was approved by Attorney General Pam Bondi, a former lobbyist for Qatar.
“It’s appalling that President Trump wants to accept a $400 million luxury airplane as a ‘gift’ from Qatar, a country with close ties to Iran and a financier of Hamas,” said the Democratic Majority for Israel in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner.
“Not only does this highly unethical ‘gift’ jeopardize national security, it sends a very loud message that the United States’ foreign policy is for sale to the highest bidders. It’s even more shocking that this agreement was approved by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who herself was a lobbyist for Qatar, earning $115,000 per month. It’s certainly worth asking what Qatar is getting in return,” the group added.
