Trump Organisation resumes plans to set up luxury hotel in occupied East Jerusalem

The family business of US presidential candidate Donald Trump is attempting to resume discussions about opening a luxury hotel in occupied East Jerusalem, according to a report by the New York Times.

The Trump Organisation pursued a deal last year to establish a Trump-branded hotel on the former site of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The company also explored converting a skyscraper under construction near the Israel Defense Forces’ headquarters in Tel Aviv into another hotel. Once completed, the building is expected to have the largest number of hotel rooms in Israel, the report added.

Eric Trump, son of the former president and current head of the family business, has been exploring hotel projects in occupied East Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, continuing these efforts even after Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the upcoming US election.

Neither deal has been finalised, and talks paused after 7 October 2023. However, the company remains interested in operating a hotel in Israel.

“The deal absolutely would have gotten done if not for October 7,” Eric said to the New York Times. Building a hotel after that “would have seemed trivial and tone-deaf in light of the horrific things that the country and region were experiencing” but the company will “definitely” sign off on a deal “when the current situation that we’re all witnessing on TV every day is resolved.”

The two hotels being considered by the Trump Organisation are owned by Nitsba Group, an Israeli real estate company. According to Haim Tsuff, chairman of Nitsba Group’s controlling shareholder, they had already reached an agreement on the price and most other details for a luxury hotel in Jerusalem, with plans to eventually expand into Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile, Lockwood, the Florida-based real estate firm, confirmed to the New York Times that negotiations were called off due to “an ethical issue related to Donald J. Trump’s increasing likelihood of becoming the Republican nominee.” However, in August, Lockwood contacted a Nitsba executive, stating that Eric Trump wished to resume discussions “when the timing is right.”

Despite Donald Trump’s ongoing presidential campaign, the Trump Organisation has been exploring other deals, including projects in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and a hotel and golf course development in Vietnam, according to the New York Times.

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