About Steven Witkoff

Steve Witkoff’s strategy, on the one hand a man of deals with relations with Qatar but on the other hand also very much trying to stay on the good side of Netanyahu and Ron Dermer and the Republican Jews who support them like David Friedman and others because he still has a warm Zionist- Jewish heart so he is trying to appease Netanyahu while balancing his relations with Qatar

Witkoff has very close ties to Qatar and sometimes even sounds like their spokesman. Qatar is said to have invested in his project in the past and he has many business interests there.

Witkoff is a dealmaker, a real estate man, looking for deals and profits. He is less of a security hawk than other figures in the Trump administration such as Rubio, Mike Huckabee, and Hegseth. For example, after Trump’s statements about the transfer of Gaza residents, Wyckoff spoke in a more moderate and practical manner, although his statements against Hamas were more forceful than Blinken’s, but his approach is still very flexible and similar to a real estate agent.

But on the other hand, Witkoff is also very Zionist and a very strong supporter of Israel. His son is very Zionist and he himself is very emotionally attached to the issue of the hostages and, unlike Blinken, never makes the equivalence with the residents of Gaza and attempts to exert excessive pressure on Israel (though urges Israel to be flexiable)

Witkoff himself is probably more liberal then Republican Jews, but because he became a Republican, he is close to a circle of conservative and right-wing Jews who strongly support Netanyahu and his crew (Ron Dermer, David Friedman, Yechiel Leiter, etc). As part of his Zionist connection and his connection with Jewish groups that are more right-wing and very Pro-Netanyahu, he is also very careful not to upset Netanyahu too much. For example, unlike the Biden administration, he always tries not to criticize Netanyahu publicly. When he does sometimes pressures Netanyahu, he is very careful not to confront Netanyahu directly, partly because of his connection to Jewish communities and he is also very sensitive to what is thought of him among pro-Israel groups and in Israel itself. For example, Adam Buhler, after several unsuccessful statements in March, received such a huge backlash from pro-Netanyahu groups and influencers that he was removed from dealing with the issue until recently, and when he returned to deal with the hostages issue, he made sure to be very respectful of Netanyahu and Dermer.

For example, he recently spoke about the negotiations with Iran, released an unsuccessful statement on uranium and received outrage among right-wing Jews, Republican members of Congress and evangelical Christians and hints of dissatisfaction from Dermer and Netanyahu, and very quickly on the issue of Gaza after the release of Idan Alexander he returned to aligning with the outlines of Netanyahu, Ron Dermer and their interests after they put pressure on him because again, it is very important to him what people think of him in Jewish-Republican circles and in Israel itself.

Therefore, on the one hand, he has deep ties to the Gulf and Qatar, sometimes serves Gulf interests, gentle pressure on Israel on certain issues and less hawkish, but he is very sensitive to what is thought of him in Israel and among right-wing American Jews, so he also takes care to strike a balance and show this community that he remains “one of the good guys” – not a traitor or a self-hating Jew like jstreet and the other Progressive Jews who identified with the Palestinians and are very hated by the American-Jewish right and Israelis – but a mediator who understands the rules of the game of the new Middle East.

This is especially important in light of the growing rift between Israel and progressive Jews – he strives to be perceived as the “faithful signifier,” the one who does not question Israel’s right to defend itself, has good relations with Netanyahu, does not preach morality to it, but only strengthens it even when he touches on explosive elements like Qatar and Iran.