GOVERNMENT

Steve Witkoff

Special Envoy

Over the past year, Steve Witkoff transitioned from trusted presidential confidant to one of the most consequential actors shaping US–Israel coordination during wartime and the lives of Israeli hostages in Hamas dungeons. Operating with the full confidence of the Oval Office, Witkoff was dispatched repeatedly to the region to engage Israeli leadership, Gulf intermediaries, and European counterparts amid hostage negotiations and ceasefire diplomacy. He played a central role in maintaining alignment between Washington and Jerusalem during moments of operational tension — particularly as Israel expanded its campaign against Hamas and Iranian-backed militias. For Jewish communal leaders tracking real leverage rather than formal titles, Witkoff's quiet authority and repeated presence at critical moments — perhaps no larger than the negotiations to release Israeli hostages — marked him as a decisive figure for Jews around the world.