In the heart of Jerusalem, a short walk from the Israeli Supreme Court and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, Donald Trump’s family business spotted a moneymaking opportunity.
“The deal absolutely would have gotten done if not for October 7,” he said, adding that after the attack, building a hotel “would have seemed trivial and tone-deaf in light of the horrific things that the country and region were experiencing”. Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump leaves an event marking one year since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, on Monday.Before the talks were suspended, the two sides had “agreed about the price and almost everything” on the Jerusalem property, said Haim Tsuff, chair of the controlling shareholder of Nitsba Group. The Trump Organisation, he said, was even discussing the interior finishes, including the furniture.
The company had also partnered on golf tournaments with Saudi-backed LIV Golf, and licensed the Trump name to a Saudi company developing luxury villas and a golf course in Oman, before his campaign was underway. While the company’s overseas deals wound down during Trump’s presidency, there were few constraints on the Trump Organisation domestically. Many people with business before the government spent lavishly at Mar-a-Lago and at the Trump hotel in Washington, which was later sold.