The first priority for the Trump administration will be the release of the hostages immediately, with no further delay, President-elect Donald Trump’s newly-appointed Middle East adviser, Massad Boulos, told French paper Le Point in an exclusive interview on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Boulos added that while the release of the hostages should be separate from issues relating to the future of Gaza, a hostage deal should come within the framework of a temporary ceasefire.

“The president believes that the hostages must be released immediately and that there must be no further delay,” he told Le Point. “According to him, their fate should not be linked to other issues related to the day after in Gaza. Several countries are currently helping to achieve this goal, whether it is Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, or even Turkey.”

However, Boulos stressed that Turkey should not replace Qatar’s role as mediator but that it did have influence over Hamas’s decision-making, given it now houses the terror group’s key officials.

When asked whether the incoming administration might support Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s plan to annex the West Bank, Boulos said that Trump has yet to publicly address this issue, and the administration has not yet implemented a policy.

However, Boulos did say that “starting January 20, there will be a very clear and very specific policy on this subject, which must be respected.”

Boulos agreed that discussions around a “roadmap leading to a Palestinian state” would be a key part of discussions between the U.S. and Israel. However, he said that so far, Saudi parties were not demanding the establishment of a Palestinian state.

He referenced Trump’s 2020 plan, which spoke of a proposed Palestinian state, the details of which “were rejected by both sides.”

Boulos continued that the president-elect’s priority is “to resume discussions on the Abraham Accords, with, of course, Saudi Arabia first. Because we know very well, and the president has said so, that once we reach an agreement with Saudi Arabia on Israel, there will be at least 12 Arab countries that will be immediately ready to follow suit.”

Plans for Iran

Speaking on Iran, Boulos said that Trump was adamant on preventing the regime from having a nuclear program. He stressed that Trump would put “maximum pressure” on Iran again and added that he felt Iran had changed tact since the former President was re-elected.

However, Boulos said that Trump was mainly focused on the nuclear deal and not the regime itself, which he was prepared to negotiate with.

“Nevertheless, there are three very important points for him: Iran must absolutely not have nuclear power; Iran’s ballistic missiles pose a risk not only to Israel, but also to the Gulf countries; and finally, the problem posed by Iranian proxies in the region, whether in Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq or Yemen. Apart from these three axes, President Trump did not talk about regime change.”

Lebanese-American businessman Massad Boulos was recently appointed by Trump as his Middle East adviser. The Republican is father to the president’s sons-in-law, the husband of his daughter Tiffany Trump.

Speaking on his appointment, Boulos told Le Point that “it was a great honor” and a “great responsibility.

“The vision is to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East. We have four years to work and we hope to achieve something that will be sustainable for the future and generations to come,” he added.

Iranian Regime Change Likely Focus of Trump Middle East Policy

The Middle East Forum’s “blueprint” for the Trump administration, titled “Reasserting American Power in the Middle East,” predicts that the incoming administration will, via executive order, reinstate policies of the prior Trump administration, including reimposing travel restrictions that both Trump aides and critics called the “Muslim ban.”

“During the first 100 days, the Trump administration will likely focus on immediate executive actions to implement key policy changes,” according to the Middle East Forum, a think tank founded by Daniel Pipes, the forum’s president.

“The first year presents distinct implementation challenges for the incoming administration, which will prioritize enhanced border controls, expanded deportation programs and strengthened oversight mechanisms across federal agencies,” per the report.

“The Iran pressure campaign will be escalated while simultaneously pursuing closer ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies, excluding Qatar,” it adds. “Higher education reform will focus on aggressively enforcing transparency requirements and new security protocols.”

The Middle East Forum report envisions the incoming Trump administration restoring the “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran and even pursuing regime change in the Islamic Republic.

“The cornerstone of U.S. Middle East policy must address Iran’s expanding regional influence and its network of proxy forces,” the report states. “Under the Trump administration, this will manifest as an enhanced version of the ‘maximum pressure’ campaign, with the explicit goal of regime change in Tehran.”

“This strategy represents an evolution from previous approaches, acknowledging that containment and negotiation strategies have failed to modify Iranian behavior,” it adds. “Key elements will likely include renewed sanctions, support for internal opposition movements and active disruption of Iran’s regional proxy networks. The administration must also address Iran’s nuclear program, its support for terrorist organizations and its destabilizing influence across Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.”