How a NYC real estate tycoon became Trump’s man in the room for Gaza negotiations
He was Donald Trump’s man in the room as the ceasefire and hostage release deal was forged between Israel and Hamas, but Steve Witkoff is no diplomat despite his appointment as the president-elect’s special envoy to the Middle East.
Instead, he brought to the negotiating table decades of experience clinching some of New York’s biggest real estate deals, as well as opening up about his very personal loss during the arduous talks.
Born in the Bronx, the billionaire real estate developer could hardly have a more different profile from those of the American diplomats who usually craft complicated international agreements. Witkoff, 67, was raised in Long Island and trained as a real estate lawyer before charting a path in the rough-and-tumble world of New York real estate development.
He has known Trump for decades, is a Republican donor and served on one of Trump’s Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups to combat the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. He’s also going to be one of the speakers at Trump’s pre-inauguration rally Sunday, alongside Hulk Hogan, Megyn Kelly, Elon Musk and others.
