Jared Kushner, who served as a senior White House advisor during his father-in-law’s presidential term Donald Trump, earlier this month he made a comment about Gaza waterfront properties that did not sit well with some quarters.
What happened: “Waterfront property in Gaza could be very valuable, if people focused on creating livelihoods,” Kushner said in an interview with the Harvard Middle East Initiative Faculty Chair Professor. Tarek Masood aired March 7.
“All the money that was invested in this network of tunnels and all the munitions if it had gone to education or innovation, what could have been done,” he said, referring to the ongoing war between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
Kushner, who runs the private equity firm Affinity partners, has expressed interest in developing the property. “I think from Israel’s perspective I would do my best to move people out and then clean up the place, but I don’t think Israel has said that they don’t want people to go back there afterwards,” she said.
During the conversation, Kushner also said that Israel should resettle civilians in the Negev region. “I think Israel has done a lot more than many other countries would do in trying to protect civilians from casualties, but I think right now the opening of the Negev creates a security there, moving civilians out and then coming in and finishing the job would be the right move.”
Reacting to Kushner’s comments, Dylan Williams, The Center for International Policy’s vice president for government affairs criticized him for calling for ethnic cleansing in Gaza. “Just days after @ADL’s @JGreenblattADL gave him an award for ‘his political work,’ Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner openly supports the ethnic cleansing of Gaza,” he said in an X post.
See also: Jared Kushner’s $2 Billion Saudi Financing Is ‘The Biggest Political Scandal… in Modern Politics,’ Congressman Says: ‘Something That Needs to Be Investigated’
Because it is important: During Trump’s tenure, Kushner was given the role of senior policy advisor and was tasked with preparing a peace plan for the Middle East. The Abraham Accords negotiated by him at that time helped normalize relations between various Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, with Israel.
Incidentally, earlier this month the Anti-Defamation League awarded Kushner an award for his “vital and profoundly impactful work” on the Abraham Accords.
Kushner recently closed a real estate development deal in Serbia, which his father-in-law had previously considered, both before his presidential term and during his presidency.
THE iShares MSCI Israel ETF EISwhich tracks a broad index made up of Israeli stocks, closed Tuesday’s session up 0.77% at $62.60according to Benzinga Pro data.
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