Kushner's financial stakes in Israeli defence firms raises conflict of interest concerns: Report

Kushner's financial stakes in Israeli defence firms raises conflict of interest concerns: Report

US envoy Jared Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, has the largest stake in an Israeli company invested in more than half a dozen defence companies that have supplied munitions and armaments for the genocide in Gaza and wars on Lebanon, Syria and Iran, according to a report by CNN.

The revelation not only means that Kushner has profited from wars he is officially tapped to negotiate as US President Donald Trump’s envoy, but it means Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar are invested through Kushner’s firm in companies that Israel is using to wage war on Gaza and other Arab states.

Kushner does not have an official position in the US government and is therefore not required to disclose his finances.

Kushner’s link to Israeli defence firms started in 2024 with a $128.5m investment in Phoenix Financial. The company is one of Israel’s largest financial groups, with interests spanning insurance, pensions and asset management. Kushner doubled his stake in Phoenix in January 2025, just five days before Trump was sworn into office. Kushner’s Affinity Partners is Phoenix’s largest shareholder.

CNN found that Phoenix has invested at least $456m in nine companies linked to Israel’s defence sector. Phoenix’s investment in Elbit Systems alone totals at least $265.1m.

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