Kushner's Mideast Moves: Abraham Accords Nonprofit Merger and Gaza Gambit
April 30, 2025 · 3 min
Jared Kushner BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.Jared Kushner has been back in the headlines in the past few days thanks to a major development involving the Abraham Accords Peace Institute, the nonprofit he founded in 2021 to build on the Middle East normalization agreements he helped broker during the Trump administration. Axios reports that Kushner’s institute is merging into The Heritage Foundation, a move that signals heightened activity around expanding the Accords as the U.S. gears up for the 2024 election cycle. The consolidation brings together veteran Trump-era Middle East policy hands like Robert Greenway, now at Heritage, and Aryeh Lightstone, who will join the Trump White House as part of Steve Witkoff’s team. Dr. Victoria Coates of the Heritage Foundation described continuing close collaboration with Kushner as they seek new opportunities for peace initiatives in the region. The merger is seen as a way to legitimize and energize the Accords’ expansion—potentially a headline-making legacy play for Kushner should Trump return to office. Beyond the strategic nonprofit move, Kushner’s previous comments about Gaza have resurfaced and drawn renewed attention. CBS News and other outlets noted that Kushner’s year-old public remarks at Harvard’s Middle East Initiative, in which he discussed the Gaza Strip’s strategic value and redevelopment prospects, sound strikingly similar to Donald Trump’s recently floated proposal that the U.S. could take over Gaza. This echo between Kushner and Trump’s rhetoric is fueling speculation in Washington circles about his behind-the-scenes influence on current Republican foreign policy thinking, particularly as Trump mulls further action in the region.Social media chatter picked up following reports from Instagram accounts such as Jewish Breaking News painting Kushner as the architect of Trump’s controversial Gaza redevelopment vision—a narrative that has further amplified criticisms of his business-minded approach to Middle East diplomacy. Some outlets like Politico highlighted backlash against Kushner for referring to Gaza waterfront property as valuable, a phrase that critics have seized on as evidence of a transactional, real estate-driven mindset when it comes to war-torn territories.There have been no major verified business activities or splashy public appearances by Kushner in the past few days beyond these nonprofit and policy-related stories. However, political insiders and journalists are closely watching for his next moves, given his deepening ties to conservative policy groups and increasing visibility in Trump-aligned foreign policy discussions. The long-term significance of these developments could mark another chapter in Kushner’s evolution from presidential son-in-law to institutional powerbroker in Middle East affairs.Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta