Steve Witkoff with President-elect Trump
Witkoff
is Trump's pick for Middle East special envoy
President-elect Donald Trump nominated real
estate executive Steven Witkoff as his special envoy to the Middle East.
The founder of the Witkoff
Group appears to have zero expertise in diplomacy or the Middle East. But Trump
insists his appointee will be "an unrelenting voice for peace" in the
troublesome region.
Witkoff is Jewish and
staunchly pro-Israel, ("staunchly pro-Israel" means Witkoff is probably a Zionist) and rallied support for Trump in the Jewish-American
business community, Axios reports. A source close to the president-elect said Witkoff has a direct line to Trump which could improve his chances
of being accepted by Middle Eastern regional players.
The businessman praised
Trump's Middle East policies during his first term, including his controversial
recognition of Israel's sovereignty over Eastern Jerusalem and the Golan
Heights, major cuts to US aid to Palestinians and "maximum pressure
sanctions" against Iran. "With President Trump, the Middle East
experienced historic levels of peace and stability. Strength prevents wars.
Iran’s money was cut off which prevented their funding of global terror," Witkoff
told reporters in July.
Witkoff's tasks will include brokering a peace deal in Gaza and normalizing Israel-Saudi relations, Axios writes. The two goals are deeply intertwined. In October, the Times of Israel quoted sources saying that Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the Gaza war by the time he returns to office. But late last month Netanyahu signaled that Israel is not ready to wind down the conflict. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is reluctant to open diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman condemned Israel's genocidal war in Gaza and attacks against Iran earlier this week.
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