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.

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.

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

President-elect Trump said Tuesday that he picked real estate executive Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East in his next administration. “Steve is a Highly Respected Leader in

For now, Mike Huckabee seems to be keeping his cards close to his chest. Shortly after being announced as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US ambassador to Israel, the former Republican governor of Arkansas said: “I won't make the policy.

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,