On January 7, 2025, President-elect Donald Trump asked Steve Wittkoff, the special envoy for the Middle East, to update him on the progress of negotiations for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
Steve Witkoff, Trump's future envoy to the Middle East, has played a key role in securing this country. Cease fire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas before Trump returns to the White House next week.
While both the Biden administration and the future Trump administration Sources told Fox News Digital that a weekend meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Witkoff was successful.
President Trump and Steve Whitkoff (Mandel NGAN/AFP via Getty Images/File)
Wittkoff's assurances are reportedly persuasive Netanyahu to accept the agreement despite threats from a right-wing party to withdraw from the coalition if it is approved.
Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported that Witkoff “explained to his host in no uncertain terms that Trump expected him to agree to a deal” during the meeting with Netanyahu.
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New White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt wrote on Tuesday X: Let's be clear: This deal would not have been done without the strong hand of President Trump and his special envoy @SteveWitkoff. “Once again, peace wins 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, he may seem an unconventional choice for the diplomatic role. The National reported that Witkoff “was not known to have any diplomatic or Middle East experience before Trump was selected for the position.”
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Wittkoff is a billionaire Jew Real estate developer and the investor who founded the Witkoff Group.
A senior Israeli diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Haaretz: “Witkoff is not a diplomat. He does not speak like a diplomat, he is not interested in diplomatic etiquette and diplomatic protocols.” “He's a businessman who wants to get a deal done quickly and is unusually aggressive.”
One High Line by Witkoff Group (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 major U.S. economic recovery industry task force to combat the economic impact of the pandemic, and was also named co-chair of Trump's future inauguration committee.
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Wittkoff is married, and he and his wife had three sons, one of whom died of a drug overdose in 2011.
Fox News Efrat Lachter, Danielle Wallace and Trey Yingst contributed to this report.