Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is expected to be an “outside adviser” to the President-elect on Middle East issues, though reportedly may not have an official role in the administration.
Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, is a trusted advisor to the President-elect, having built up strong regional relationships during his time serving in the first Trump presidency from 2017 to 2021.
“No one on the incoming team has what Jared has, and that is trust. Jared earned it, he didn’t have it at the beginning. He earned it. That takes time to build,” a regional diplomat who worked with Kushner previously told CNN.
The diplomat noted that Kushner was relatively unknown to most players in the region before he became chief Middle East negotiator in the first Trump administration and that regional negotiators recognize the value of the relationships he has formed.
“Friendships are forever in this region,” an Israeli source who dealt with the first Trump administration told CNN. “My assumption is that his role is much more in his hands than anybody else’s.”
Despite his connections, Kushner is not likely to assume a formal role in Trump’s second administration, but he is likely to serve as an outside advisor, two sources close to the President-elect told the outlets.
Concerns about Kushner’s other interests in the region and the wider Trump family have reportedly been raised by others within the GOP including current U.S. diplomats.
The former special advisor now runs a $3bn private equity fund backed by major U.S. allies including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, raising questions over how the future Trump administration could impact its business dealings.
In September Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, said he would keep his government’s $2bn investment in the firm, should Trump win re-election.
“Prioritizing Saudi Arabia’s prosperity because it could help the Trump family is a major concern for US diplomats,” a current diplomat told CNN.
However, having strong ties early on may prove useful if the President-elect is to deliver on his promises to end the wars in the region, including with Israel and Palestine. Earlier this year, Trump said that Israel had to “finish what they started” in Gaza and “get it over with fast.”
Kushner himself has not spoken extensively on the situation in the Middle East recently but was previously criticized following remarks made during an interview at Harvard in March, during which he said “Gaza’s waterfront property could be very valuable … if people would focus on building up livelihoods.
“It’s a little bit of an unfortunate situation there, but from Israel’s perspective I would do my best to move the people out and then clean it up,” Kushner said. “But I don’t think that Israel has stated that they don’t want the people to move back there afterwards.”
