Trump's Middle East envoy has a big asset: a direct line to the president
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Steve Witkoff speaks during the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 18, 2024. Photo: Angela Weiss AFP via Getty Images
The Trump administration's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has a major asset: a direct line to Donald Trump, a source close to the president-elect told Axios.
Why it matters: Witkoff faces a crisis in the Middle East and the biggest war between Israelis and Palestinians since 1948 as he starts the job.
- Trump has a series of goals in the Middle East: ending the war in Gaza, getting a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and trying again to make peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Driving the news: Like Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner who led the White House "Peace Team" during the first Trump administration, Witkoff is a businessman from the real estate world who has experience negotiating deals.
- In his statement announcing the appointment, Trump emphasized and detailed Witkoff's private sector background.
- "Steve has made every project and community he has been involved with stronger and more prosperous. Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE," Trump wrote.
Behind the scenes: A source close to Trump said the president-elect appointed Witkoff because of the "deep trust" between them.
- Witkoff, who is Jewish and pro-Israel, is one of Trump's closest personal friends. The two have spent a lot of their time golfing together. During the election campaign, Witkoff was Trump's point person for the Jewish-American business community.
- Witkoff, who has no prior experience in Middle East politics, is expected to speak directly to Israeli, Palestinian and Arab leaders. While he has no diplomatic background, Witkoff's chances of making progress will improve if leaders in the Middle East know he speaks for Trump.
- Kushner also didn't have experience when he started working on the Middle East but ended up brokering the Abraham Accords between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
"Trump trusts Witkoff very much and they are very close. This is something that will help Witkoff a lot in his mission," the source said.
State of play: Trump has said publicly many times that he wants to end the war in Gaza as soon as possible.
- But, in negotiations for a deal to release the hostages being held by Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government have said they aren't open to ending the war right now and they've presented no credible post-war plan.
- Trump has two larger goals: an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, which he tried to achieve during his first term in office, and a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Between the lines: Trump's three goals are now intertwined. Ending the war in Gaza is a key condition for moving toward a regional peace process.
- Saudi Arabia has said a normalization agreement with Israel is contingent on some movement toward a Palestinian state.
What to watch: Trump also appointed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and annexation of parts of the Palestinian territory, as U.S. ambassador to Israel.
- The issue of the settlements, especially a scenario in which Israel annexes parts of the West Bank, is highly contentious both for the Palestinians and for many Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia.
- It's unclear how the new administration will square all of its goals.
