On January 7, 2025, President-elect Donald Trump asked Steve Witkoff, the special envoy to the Middle East, for an update on his progress in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
President-elect Trump’s new envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is credited with playing a key role in securing peace. Ceasefire and hostage release agreement Between Israel and Hamas before Trump returns to the White House next week.
While both the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration A weekend meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Witkoff led to a breakthrough, sources told Fox News Digital.
Then-President Trump and Steve Witkoff (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images/File)
Witkoff was reportedly convinced by his assurances Netanyahu approved the agreement, despite threats from a right-wing party to withdraw from the coalition if it is approved.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that during the meeting with Netanyahu, Vitkov “made clear to his host in no uncertain terms that Trump expected him to approve the deal.”
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“Let’s be clear: This deal would not have been possible without the strong hand of President Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff,” Carolyn Leavitt, Trump’s incoming White House press secretary, wrote on Tuesday. “Once again, peace prevails through strength.”
Steve Witkoff, founder and CEO of Witkoff Group LLC, speaks during a campaign event with former President Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on October 27, 2024. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Given Witkoff’s background, it may seem like an unconventional choice to serve in a diplomatic role. The National reported that Witkoff “was not known to have any diplomatic experience or experience in the Middle East” before Trump appointed him to the position.
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Witkoff is a Jewish billionaire Real estate developer And the investor who founded the Witkoff Group.
A senior Israeli diplomat told Haaretz on condition of anonymity: “Vitkov is not a diplomat. He does not speak like a diplomat, and he has no interest in diplomatic ethics and diplomatic protocols.” “He is a businessman who wants to reach an agreement quickly and is moving forward with extraordinary force.”
The only high line of the Witkoff collection (One High Line/Fox Business)
Like Trump, Witkoff is originally from New York but has moved to Florida in recent years.
Trump and Witkoff are close friends. Witkoff served on the Trump administration’s first Great American Economic Recovery industry group to combat the economic impact of the pandemic, and was also selected to co-chair Trump’s incoming inaugural committee.
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Witkoff is married and he and his wife have three children, one of whom died of a drug overdose in 2011. Witkoff and one of his surviving children spoke at the Republican National Convention last summer.
Fox News’ Efrat Lachter, Daniel Wallace and Trey Yingst contributed to this report.
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