ADL to honor Jared Kushner for Israel work, calling it ‘pivotal’ for hostage negotiations

The organization said Kushner’s diplomatic work laid the groundwork for current talks related to the Gaza war

Jared Kushner, then an advisor to President Donald Trump, speaks at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the normalization of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in Aug. 2020. Photo by Getty Images

By Arno Rosenfeld February 26, 2024

The Anti-Defamation League will deliver an award to Jared Kushner for his diplomatic work related to Israel at its annual conference next month in New York City.

Kushner, the son-in-law of former president Donald Trump — the presumptive Republican nominee for president — served as a senior adviser in Trump’s White House where he was charged to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The ADL is honoring Kushner for his “vital and deeply impactful work on the Abraham Accords,” which normalized relations between Israel and several Middle Eastern countries including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

He also championed the decision to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

A spokesperson for the ADL said that Kushner’s previous diplomatic work was “pivotal for hostage release and an end to the conflict post October 7th terrorist attack.”

Kushner, who the ADL previously defended from antisemitic right-wing attacks, has said he will not participate in a second Trump administration.

The award ceremony will take place at the ADL’s annual Never Is Now conference early next month. The organization declined to share more details about the award, and who else would be honored at the conference.

“This is about Jared Kushner and his record of policy work,” the organization said in a statement to the Forward.

The ADL gives out an International Leadership Award, which in past years has gone to figures including technology executive Eric Schmidt, actor and producer Sacha Baron Cohen and chessmaster and activist Garry Kasparov. It is not clear if this is the award it will bestow upon Kushner.

The accolade comes at a tense moment for the organization. The ADL has been dealing with staff unrest over its positions on Israel amid a spike in antisemitism following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel and subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza.

Arno Rosenfeld is enterprise reporter at the Forward, where he covers antisemitism, philanthropy, sexual misconduct and American Jewish politics. You can reach him at arno@forward.com and follow him on Twitter @arnorosenfeld.

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