Jared Kushner is urging Donald Trump to support the Biden administration’s push for Saudi-Israel normalization to cement the former president’s Middle East legacy, Axios reports.
Kushner, who served as senior White House adviser to his father-in-law, Trump, was a key negotiator in the 2020 Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and four Arab countries: United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
Two sources with knowledge of the issue told Axios that Kushner, who maintains close ties with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), told Trump that Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords would vindicate his Middle Eastern policy (Trump, who served his first term from 2017 to 2021, is running for a non-consecutive second term in the 2024 presidential contest).
Lindsey Graham has also urged Trump to support the Saudi-Israel deal that the Biden administration is negotiating, the South Carolina Republican senator told Axios.
The close confidante of the former president said that he had briefed Trump about his talks with MBS after visiting Saudi Arabia in April.
“I told President Trump, listen, this is the natural extension of the Abraham Accords and if we can do it, let’s do it. It doesn’t matter how it gets done, on whose watch it gets done. It’d be a good thing for the stability of the Middle East and our own national security, and President Trump deserves his fair share of credit,” said Graham.
Graham conveyed to Trump that it is the “the highest sign of flattery” when a president continues a predecessor’s policies, according to the report.
Kushner’s Affinity Partners private equity fund, which is primarily backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, is set to acquire a $150 million stake in an Israeli automotive services company, marking the first Saudi-backed investment in the Jewish state.
Kushner’s fund will buy a 15% stake in the car and credit division of Shlomo Holdings, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing financial filings.
“We are confident in the long-term growth forecast for Israel and the entire new Middle East,” said Kushner. “The historical growth of the Shlomo Group has been solid as a rock, and its future holds many exciting opportunities.”