Will Jared Kushner’s Israel Investments Impact Peace Process — And How?
Jared Kushner Image by Getty Images
By Naomi Zeveloff March 26, 2017
Jared Kushner’s family has financial investments in Israel that could prevent him from being an honest broker in the Israeli-Palestinian impasse, ethics experts say.
According to the Associated Press, Kushner’s family real estate company, Kushner Companies, has a shared investment in a New Jersey apartment building with a major Israeli financial group, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.
In addition to the New Jersey apartment building, Harel partnered with Kushner Companies on a deal to provide a $50 million loan for a real estate project in Brooklyn, a 73-story residential building that would be the borough’s tallest.
The AP also reported that Kushner Companies confirmed it has a “longstanding relationship” with Israel’s Bank Hapoalim and Bank Leumi, but would not provide further details.
Jared Kushner has stepped down as chief executive of Kushner Companies, but he has not entirely divested his assets.
Ethics experts say these investments, in addition to the Kushner family’s support of West Bank settlements and Kushner’s personal relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, could impact his ability to negotiate an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
“Financial investments in Israel would seem to only further complicate conflicts of interest issues,” Larry Noble, senior director of regulatory programs and general counsel at Campaign Legal Center, told the AP.
Contact Naomi Zeveloff at zeveloff@forward.com
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
