Albanian PM Says Tirana Protests Against Kushner Project Are “Contaminated by Anti-Semitism”
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama called the protests in Tirana against Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s billion-dollar project on the country’s coast “anti-Semitism” in an interview with Euro News yesterday, Friday. He also claimed they are organized by Albania’s and Israel’s enemies. It was the sixth consecutive day that tens of thousands marched through the streets of Tirana, Albania’s capital, in protest against the island resort project of the daughter and son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Rama, who personally promoted the project, said he has no intention of backing away from it or responding to the crowds’ demand that he resign. “The protests are fueled by bots, anti-Semitic narratives and hostile external forces, which are inflaming tensions in Albania,” Rama said in the interview, which he gave during a visit to Montenegro. He added that Tirana had “come under a hybrid attack from external actors,” but did not name them, and said they had “tried to exploit public dissatisfaction.”
These remarks come as activists and environmental groups continue to protest plans linked to Affinity Partners, the investment firm founded by Jared Kushner, for the construction of a luxury resort off Albania’s coast. Rama added that anti-Semitic narratives are being promoted by “enemies of Israel and Albania,” including what he described as false online conspiracies about an alleged secret deal between Israel and his government intended to transfer Palestinians from Gaza to the country.
“There is a narrative that this is a hidden deal between me and Bibi Netanyahu through Jared Kushner to bring Palestinians to this area, and that is complete fantasy,” he said, adding that his country “has a very proud history of saving Jews, and it has never had anti-Semitic feelings,” while describing Albanian Muslims as “extraordinarily tolerant.”
Asked whether the protesters’ concerns are legitimate, Rama said the motives are sincere but are being amplified by hostile actors carrying out a coordinated online strategy to exploit public sentiment around environmental protection and Albania’s relations with Israel. “There are many bots, many fake profiles, many attacks coming from all sides,” Rama said. “I saw it this week on social media. As it happened in other countries, I see it now in my country.”
Rama said the protests alone will not determine the future of the investment in Albania’s growing tourism sector. “It will never happen. Not under my watch.” On the stage the project is at, he said, “Is there an expression of interest in the project? Yes. Is there a project? No.”
The Albanian prime minister added that “the project is being worked on by the investors. We have to see when the project is presented.” He said any proposal would go through review and approval procedures before construction could begin. Protesters, meanwhile, say signs of construction activity, including heavy equipment and excavators, have been seen on and around the island since May.
The idea was born in 2024, with the main casualties, flamingos. The plan began to take shape in 2024, when Kushner, a real estate developer and former political envoy, announced plans to develop a large luxury resort on Sazan Island in Albania and on the Zvernec coast near the city of Vlora, with the potential for up to 10,000 hotel rooms.
Environmental activists hold flamingo signs in Tirana, צילום: AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli. He visited the site with his wife Ivanka in January 2026, and last April Rama confirmed to POLITICO that discussions on the project were continuing. A change in Albanian law in 2024 paved the way for tourism developments in several areas that had previously been part of a nature reserve, and became the focus of public controversy.
The planned and controversial tourist site is located within a previously protected natural ecosystem that is home to flamingos, more than 200 species of migratory birds, Mediterranean seals and nesting sea turtles.
