By MEG KINNARD (Associated Press)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s former White House adviser and his son-in-law, praised the “very valuable” potential of Gaza’s “waterfront property,” suggesting that Israel should remove civilians while it “cleans up” the area.
“Gaza’s waterfront property, it could be very valuable, if people would focus on building up livelihoods,” Kushner said in an interview dated Feb. 15, posted earlier this month on the YouTube channel of the Middle East Initiative, a program of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and reported first on Tuesday by The Guardian. “If you think about all the money that’s gone into this tunnel network and into all the munitions, if that would have gone into education or innovation, what could have been done?”
“It’s a little bit of an unfortunate situation there, but I think from Israel’s perspective, I would do my best to move the people out and then clean it up,” Kushner added. “But I don’t think that Israel has stated that they don’t want the people to move back there afterwards.”
Responding Tuesday on X to “those dishonestly using selected parts” of his remarks, Kushner posted a video of the entire interaction, saying he stood by his comments “and believe the Palestinian people’s lives will improve ONLY when the international community and their citizenry start demanding accountability from their leadership.”
About 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, as Israel looks to eliminate Hamas following the group’s deadly Oct. 7 attack. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 70,000 wounded in the Gaza Strip since Israel’s war on Hamas began. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to send a team of Israeli officials to Washington to discuss a prospective Rafah operation with Biden administration officials.
The agreement to hold such talks came as President Joe Biden and Netanyahu spoke Monday, their first interaction in more than a month, as the divide has grown between allies over the food crisis in Gaza and Israel’s conduct during the war, according to the White House. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the talks will happen in the coming days and are expected to involve military, intelligence and humanitarian experts.
In the interview last month, Kushner also suggested that getting civilians out of Rafah and potentially into Egypt, might be possible “with the right diplomacy,” also positing a plan for the the Negev desert in southern Israel.
Kushner also mentioned that he might forcefully clear an area in the Negev and relocate people there, despite knowing it may not be popular, because he believes it's a better option to complete the task.
Kushner stated that he believes Israel has put in more effort than many other countries to prevent civilian casualties.
The discussion about the Israel-Hamas conflict has become a significant topic in this year's U.S. presidential election, creating divisions between Biden and Trump, as well as within their respective parties. The Israel-Hamas war has become a key issue in the current U.S. presidential race, causing division between Biden and Trump, as well as within their parties.
When asked in an interview about the growing criticism of Netanyahu by Democrats regarding his management of the Gaza conflict, Trump accused Jews who vote for Democrats of having a dislike for Israel and their own religion, sparking a strong reaction from the White House and Jewish leaders.
He reiterated these comments on Tuesday, stating that “the Democrats have been very, very opposed to Jewish people.” Senator Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., condemned Trump’s remarks as “utterly disgusting and a clear example of the antisemitism that Jews face.”
Kushner worked on various issues and policies during his time in the Trump administration, including efforts for peace in the Middle East. He mentioned last month that he is not interested in returning to the White House if Trump wins the 2024 presidential election, as he is focusing on his investment business and living with his family in Florida away from the public eye.
