A special envoy for the Middle East who knows nothing about the Middle East. At a time when this region is boiling with the war in Gaza dragging on, where Lebanon is on fire and where Iran and Israel are now in direct conflict, President-elect Donald Trump has named his partner golfer Steve Witkoff as special envoy for the Middle East.
Miracles Bahri
Digging a little, we discover that this nomination aims to reward a friend whose loyalty has never failed so that he can expand his address book in the Gulf countries and benefit his business like his predecessor in this position during Trump's first term, Jared Kushner, who today founded an investment fund financed by the Gulf petromonarchies.
The Wall Street Journal indicated in an investigation by Joshua Chaffin and Deborah Acosta that the US president-elect's special envoy for the Middle East, real estate tycoon Steve Witkoff, has no experience in diplomacy and was chosen because he is close to Donald Trump and that he is supposed to deal with the crisis in the Middle East as in negotiating a difficult real estate transaction.
The investigation's authors said Witkoff had come a long way in building a real estate empire from his childhood in New York's Bronx and his rise in the real estate business in New York and Florida.
They discussed the wedding of his son Zach Witkoff to actress Sophia Knight which took place at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in 2022. Among those in attendance were Trump and his wife Melania, the governor of Florida Ron DeSantis and well-known real estate families such as Barry Strengchelt and baseball player Alex Rodriguez.
The WSJ says Elon Musk may have been one of Trump's new best friends, but Steve Witkoff is a longtime friend who has always remained close to the president-elect. Witkoff accompanied Trump throughout his election campaign and was playing golf with him when he was the victim of a second assassination attempt in September.
Today, Trump has chosen him to carry out a major mission, that of determining American foreign policy and as his envoy to the Middle East. It's a task he entrusted during his first term to his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who also worked in real estate.
A complex negotiation for the purchase of a property
The newspaper added that Trump's choice of another real estate entrepreneur reinforced the feeling that the president-elect is treating the Middle East crisis as a complex negotiation for the purchase of property.
Witkoff shares that view, viewing the area as a huge real estate deal according to a person familiar with the upcoming envoy's thinking. Choosing someone close to the family also means Witkoff is continuing Kushner's approach.
Like Trump, Witkoff, 67, is from New York where he grew up, made his fortune then moved to South Florida, and like Trump, he loves to play golf. His peers describe him as a personality with a particular talent in negotiations.
Famous real estate developer Don Peebles who attended the Mar-a-Lago wedding stated that: “Witkoff has his own way of negotiating and he is not aggressive. He's not the type of person who wants to see blood before signing a deal. Whether he is capable of knowing the complex history of the Middle East is another matter..
Witkoff, who is Jewish, is considered a staunch supporter of Israel and has no diplomatic experience although his friends point to the business connections he has made in the region. Last year, Witkoff sold the Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan to the Qatar Investment Authority for $623 million, and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority also participated in the transaction.
“He is aware of what he knows and what he does not know”said his friend, lawyer Paul Edelman of the Paul Hastings Company. He described Witkoff as “someone who understands the Rubik's Cube and the people who move it”.
But one property manager expressed skepticism about Witkoff's qualifications while praising his intelligence. This person said peacemaking in the Middle East was not Witkoff's world.
Aside from the sensitivities of the region, Witkoff may have to maintain his relations in America well, especially since Kushner has hinted that he will continue to participate in the next administration although without an official position. In an interview given some time ago to WSJhe said: “I will give them my advice and help them in any way they need.”
Witkoff hopes to talk, cooperate and consult with Kushner, who he believes has a “extraordinary knowledge of the dynamics of the region”and above all, which does not spoil anything, on the dual level of investment and real estate.
Towards the revival of the Abraham Accords
When Kushner was appointed Trump advisor and put in charge of the Middle East mission, many experts in the region were shocked but Trump's son-in-law managed to achieve the Abraham Accords that brought a number of Arab countries to normalize their relations with Israel. The momentum of this agreement has since stalled due to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and the resulting war in Gaza.
Kushner also revealed the business potential of the position. After leaving office, he received two billion dollars in support from Saudi Arabia for his new private equity fund. Another billion dollars came from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
It is certain that Witkoff will receive Trump's attention and support since they first met in 1986 when Witkoff was a young lawyer at the Dreyer&Traub firm with which Trump did business. The relationship began, Witkoff says, with a sandwich, according to testimony he submitted last year on Trump's behalf in a fraud lawsuit filed by the New York attorney general. They met at a restaurant after working on a deal together. “Trump had no money so I ordered him ham and Swiss cheese”Witkoff testified.
According to Witkoff's son, Alex, Trump was one of the big inspirations for his father to move from law to real estate.
The friendship between them deepened when Witkoff praised Trump and his stance supporting him when his son Andrew died of an opioid overdose in 2011.
In a speech at the Republican National Convention this year, he said of Trump that his presence brought comfort in a dark hour. He added: “Trump is kind and emotional and I have never met anyone like him in my life”.
After arriving at the White House, Donald Trump and his wife Melania invited Steeve Witkoff to speak about the dangers of opium but the real estate mogul's relationship with Trump is far from the spotlight. He was the first to rush to his friend's aid and testify in a Manhattan fraud case and he did so when his former donors and supporters distanced themselves from him. He stuck with Trump throughout the election campaign and when a real estate partner asked him when he would see him, he replied: “I will stay with the president during this period” and he was one of the people Trump invited on stage on election night to celebrate the victory.
A precious missi dominici for Trump
Witkoff was one of Trump's biggest fundraisers with ties to highly influential Jewish donors including Miriam Adelson, a staunch supporter of Israel, who ultimately gave $100 million to the campaign. He also played the role of problem solver. After Trump insulted Georgia Governor Brian Kemp at a rally, Witkoff flew to Atlanta to calm the situation. Days later, Kemp appeared on Fox News to declare his loyalty to Trump.
When Florida Gov. DeSantis withdrew from the race, Witkoff brokered a breakthrough between Trump and Santis, the candidate-turned-rival. In April, Witkoff gathered them for breakfast at the Shell Bay Club in Hallandale, Fla., where golf memberships cost more than $1 million. One person described their resort as being like Mar-a-Lago but prettier. Witkoff also managed to convince Trump-challenging candidate Nikki Haley to negotiate a truce and she recounted how he visited her home in South Carolina. He asked her what she expected from Trump and she replied: “Nothing”. She supported his candidacy but did not believe in him.
It seems a long time ago when Witkoff, the son of a coat salesman, and another Dreyer & Traub lawyer, Lawrence Glack, combed Harlem and the Bronx in the 1980s looking for apartment buildings as a secondary activity in real estate and named their company Stellar, a contraction of Steve and Larry (short for Lawrence). They were in the business of renting out cheap properties. During this time, he often left family events to do maintenance work at rental homes and carried a gun for protection in these two rough neighborhoods.
We will have understood that the appointment of Mr. Witkoff will not have the objective of resolving the conflicts in the Middle East because the die is cast and Israel will have everything it wants with an ultra-Zionist administration but that this position will help him expand his address book with investors in the region and benefit his business like Mr. Kushner before him. A compliment from Trump to his faithful friend and golf partner Steve who never let him down and on whom he could count on to return to power.
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