On January 7, 2025, President-elect Donald Trump briefed Steve Witkoff, his special envoy for the Middle East, on the progress of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
President-elect Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is credited with playing a key role in securing a ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas before Trump returns to the White House next week.
The Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration applied strategic pressure to reach a deal, but officials told Fox News Digital that a weekend meeting between Witkoff and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led to a breakthrough. Ta.
Then-President Trump and Steve Witkoff (Mandel Gunn/AFP, via Getty Images/File)
Media reports say Witkoff’s assurances persuaded Prime Minister Netanyahu to accept the deal, despite threats from right-wing parties to leave the coalition if it passes.
Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported that during his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Witkoff “explained to the host in no uncertain terms that he expected President Trump to agree to the deal.”
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“Let me be clear: this agreement would not have been possible without the strong lobbying of President Trump and his special envoy @SteveWitkoff,” Trump’s incoming White House press secretary, Caroline Leavitt, wrote on Tuesday. “Once again, peace is won through strength.”
Steve Witkoff, founder and CEO of Witkoff Group LLC, speaks at 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, the role of diplomat may seem like an unconventional choice. The National reported that Witkoff was “not known to have diplomatic or Middle East experience” before President Trump selected him for the position.
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Witkoff is a Jewish billionaire real estate developer and investor who founded the Witkoff Group.
“Witkov is not a diplomat. He doesn’t speak like a diplomat, and he’s not interested in diplomatic etiquette or protocol,” a senior Israeli diplomat told Haaretz on condition of anonymity. “He wants to reach an agreement quickly and is an unusually aggressive businessman.”
Witkoff Group’s One High Line (One High Line/FOX Business)
Witkoff, like Trump, is originally from New York, but recently moved to Florida.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Witkoff are close friends. Witkoff served as part of the first Trump administration’s Great American Economic Revival Industry Group to combat the economic impact of the pandemic and was selected to co-chair Trump’s incoming inaugural committee.
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Witkoff is married and has three sons with his wife, one of whom died from a prescription drug overdose in 2011. Mr. Witkoff and one of his surviving sons spoke at the Republican National Convention last summer.
FOX News’ Efrat Lachter, Danielle Wallace and Trey Yingst contributed to this report.
