As President-elect Donald Trump completes his top cabinet picks, it is another face from the business world who will step into the role of Middle East envoy: property mogul Steve Witkoff.
For Trump’s second term, Witkoff will step into the shoes of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner who had the role the first time round.
Instead of using veteran diplomats for the region - which is currently struggling through its most violent conflict in decades - Trump has signaled that, when it comes to his top personnel, it's back business.
Money talks
Witkoff is cut from the same cloth as Trump: a New Yorker who made his fortune in the city, it is likely he will take a similar approach to his predecessor as Trump lines up his priorities.
Next for Trump will be securing a peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel and expanding his historic 2020 Abraham Accords which saw Israel normalize ties with several Arab countries including the United Arab Emirates.
In spite of his lack of diplomatic experience, Kushner was key to the deal, suggesting Trump sees the same potential in Witkoff, who will no doubt be working hard to learn from Kushner as he readies for the role.
Witkoff, 67, is “smart, personable and a talented negotiator with a common touch”, the Wall Street Journal cited peers as describing him, which will be critical as US-brokered peace talks continue between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Though Jewish and a vocal supporter of Israel, Witkoff, like Trump, is serious about business. Just last year, he sold Manhattan’s Park Lane Hotel to the Qatari Investment Authority, the country’s sovereign-wealth fund, for $623 million.
Old friends
Witkoff and Trump have been friends since 1986. Witkoff was a young attorney at white-shoe law firm Dreyer & Traub when they first met. Since then, Witkoff learnt from his former client and climbed the ranks of the world of real estate.
He has since been a loyal supporter of Trump, not only testifying in his defense at a Manhattan fraud trial but also helping raise huge funds for Trump's campaign through his network of high-net-worth Jewish donors after the Joe Biden administration threatened halting arms exports to Israel in May.
Speaking to The Bulwark podcast, Witkoff reported raising “six-figure and seven-figure donations”. “Every one of my friends started calling and asking, ‘What can I do for Donald Trump?’” he said.
An ardent Israel advocate
Witkoff has been highly complementary about Trump’s policy on Israel. “(His) leadership was good for Israel and the entire region.”
In a post thread on X, Witkoff suggested he will also have eyes on Iran which directly and through its military allies in the region has been in a war of attrition with Israel since the Iran-backed Hamas attack on October 7 last year killed 1,100 Israelis - mostly civilians - and saw 250 hostages taken captive.
Since then, in addition to direct attacks from Tehran, Iran’s allies in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria as well as in the West Bank have launched attacks on Israel. Over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's campaign in Gaza, local health authorities in Hamas-run enclave say.
“With President Trump, the Middle East experienced historic levels of peace and stability. Strength prevents wars," Witkoff wrote. Iran’s money was cut off which prevented their funding of global terror.”
A man of peace
Trump called his new Middle East envoy “an unrelenting voice for peace” as he prepared to take on one of the most complicated roles in foreign policy.
“Steve is a highly respected leader in business and philanthropy, who has made every project and community he has been involved with stronger and more prosperous,” Trump said.
