Jared Kushner, son-in-law to former President Donald Trump and foreign affairs adviser during the Trump presidency, recently called for Israel to commit ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
As a guest speaker at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in February, Kushner discussed his views on Israel’s genocidal war against Gaza, which has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians since the start of October. Although the interview happened last month, footage of his comments was only made public in early March.
Notably, Kushner was instrumental in a plan to normalize relations between Israel and a number of Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East. That plan also included an outline for Israel to annex more illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, recognize Jerusalem as its capital, and continue to deny Palestinians the right of return.
In his comments last month, Kushner, a former real estate developer, seemed to relish the idea of Israel taking control of Gaza and turning it into an economic boon for the country.
“Gaza’s waterfront property could be very valuable … if people would focus on building up livelihoods,” he said.
Describing the current genocidal war on Gaza as an “unfortunate situation,” Kushner suggested that Israel should “move people out” of the region “and then clean it up.” He also said that the goal of a Palestinian state is a “super bad idea,” claiming that the creation of such a state would be tantamount to “rewarding an act of terror.”
Kushner then advocated for the forced displacement of people living in Gaza.
“I would just bulldoze something in the Negev,” he said, referring to a desert region in southern Israel. “I would try to move people in there, I know that that won’t be the popular thing to do, but I think that that’s a better option to do, so that you can go in and finish the job.”
Critics quickly pointed out that Kushner’s words were highly alarming.
“I can’t comprehend how these people can talk about ethnic cleansing with so much ease. The dehumanization is still shocking,” journalist and National Geographic Explorer writer Aziz Abu Sarah wrote on X.
Abu Sarah also noted that Kushner was recently honored by the Anti-Defamation League, and said that “sadly, many Arab leaders see Kushner as a friend.”
Former Obama official and “Pod Save America” co-host Tommy Vietor called Kushner’s comments “disgusting,” adding that they were an “open call for ethnic cleansing.”