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.

President-elect Donald Trump has made another move to fill out his administration with his choice to appoint Steve Witkoff as the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East. Witkoff is far from an establishment politician or lifetime government worker.

Steve is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy, who has made every project and community he has been involved with stronger and more prosperous. Steve will be an

Witkoff met Trump in the 1990s when he was building a real estate empire and Trump was buying Manhattan properties.

In his announcement, Trump said that Witkoff would be an "unrelenting Voice for PEACE" in the highly-contentious region. "Steve is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy, who has made every project and community he has been involved with ...

US President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday he had picked Jewish real estate investor and campaign donor Steve Witkoff to be his special envoy to the Middle East. As a pro-Israel donor and fundraiser for Trump’s presidential campaign, Trump said in a statement that Witkoff is a "tireless voice for peace."

Witkoff, who is Jewish and who has been friends with Trump since the 1980s when he bought Trump a sandwich after they worked on a real estate transaction, has no Middle East diplomatic experience.

A longtime Donald Trump friend, golf buddy and investor has been named as the new special envoy to the Middle East, Reuters reported Tuesday afternoon, and early reactions on social media noted he's pro-Israel,