Report Alleges Netanyahu Aided Kushner in Concealing $1 Billion in Israel

An investigative journalist's upcoming book claims that Jared Kushner, former senior advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, may have accessed billions of dollars from Gulf states through a secret network of bank accounts linked to Israel. Investigative journalist Matthew Cole alleges in his book, "Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohammed bin Zayed's Secret Plan to Remake the Middle East," that at least $2 billion was made available through financial schemes involving the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. Fragments of the book were published by Vanity Fair, with Ynet reporting on the claims.

Cole asserts that UAE leader Mohammed bin Zayed and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman initially discussed a fund exceeding $10 billion to advance the Trump administration's political goals. This plan allegedly evolved into several bank accounts allowing Kushner to access foreign funds while bypassing U.S. government oversight. A significant claim involves approximately $1 billion that bin Zayed reportedly transferred to Israel via Azerbaijan in 2018. According to Cole, citing a source familiar with the deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advised Kushner to place the funds in an account at the Bank of Israel, making them appear as state assets rather than personal funds.

The book suggests Netanyahu wanted Kushner to pre-notify him of any transfers, possibly through then-U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. Friedman has vehemently denied any knowledge of such a scheme or relaying messages. Kushner's lawyer has categorically denied the existence of any such accounts. Cole links these alleged financial arrangements to a sophisticated intelligence operation that began in late 2017, involving Dutch and Russian intelligence agencies, which reportedly uncovered screenshots from Kushner's iPhone.

Cole further claims that by early 2018, cybersecurity experts identified a vulnerability allowing them to monitor Kushner's phone screen. This surveillance allegedly revealed Kushner using a UAE bank account, "Alpha," at First Abu Dhabi Bank, which received hundreds of millions of dollars from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, reportedly routed through Azerbaijan to obscure the original source of funds. The account, while not personally owned by Kushner, was allegedly managed by the UAE government-funded Watani Al Emarat Foundation, with Kushner having signatory power. Kushner's lawyer denies his client knew the foundation's head or had access to the account.

The alleged financial arrangements are presented as developing alongside diplomatic efforts between Washington, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Jerusalem, aimed at strengthening regional alliances and advancing specific political interests. Cole also describes a separate account allegedly used in secret contacts between Israel and the UAE before official normalization, where Abu Dhabi reportedly deposited funds into an Israeli central bank account to finance potential emergency aid against Iran. Cole posits these accounts formed an unofficial financial system for Kushner's Middle East diplomacy. Former Trump administration officials reportedly had no knowledge of Kushner using a foreign government's account. A former prosecutor suggested such arrangements could potentially violate U.S. bribery or foreign agent registration laws, though this depends on the specifics of the alleged schemes. Kushner's defense maintains his contacts were approved by Trump and served U.S. interests.