Kushner had secret $2B accounts funded by UAE and Saudis

Where Diplomacy Meets News

Follow us on X

Kushner had secret $2B accounts funded by UAE and Saudi Arabia: report

Editorial Team

October 23, 2026

Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyanu and Mohammed bin Salman — A composite image of Jared Kushner, center, and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyanu, left, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. Photo: DubaiDiplomacy.com/Creative Commons/US Mission to EU 2019/UAE Presidential Court 2025.

Kushner Rejects Allegations as “Complete Fabrications”

DUBAI — A forthcoming book by journalist Matthew Cole alleges that Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, had access to secret bank accounts containing about $2 billion from United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during Trump’s first term, Vanity Fair reported Thursday.

The book, Princes and Thieves, describes at least two accounts linked to the funds.

One was held at First Abu Dhabi Bank and officially belonged to the Watani Al Emarat Foundation, a UAE government-funded charity allegedly used to conceal secret Emirati weapons purchases. Both Gulf leaders reportedly contributed to the account.

According to Cole, Dutch intelligence discovered the account after gaining remote access to Kushner’s iPhone.

The operation reportedly followed a 2017 incident in which a Russian double agent disclosed screenshots from the device, prompting Dutch intelligence to reverse-engineer a security vulnerability.

Kushner was listed as a signatory on the foundation’s account, giving him access to the funds without making him the owner.

The report said Kushner and bin Zayed viewed the arrangement as part of their efforts to secure peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Trump administration unveiled its proposed peace plan, known as the Deal of the Century, in 2020.

Cole cited four senior Trump administration officials who said they knew of no presidential approval for the arrangement.

The group included two national security advisers, a White House chief of staff and a former CIA director.

The report said Kushner was required to disclose the arrangement and may have violated US law by failing to do so.

A second account allegedly involved about $1 billion transferred by bin Zayed for Kushner’s benefit.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly urged Kushner to place the money in an account at the Bank of Israel that appeared to be a government account.

Cole cited a person familiar with the funds who said the money was designated for Kushner’s personal benefit.

Netanyahu allegedly required Kushner to inform him before making transactions, with communications handled through David Friedman, the US ambassador to Israel at the time.

Friedman denied the allegation, calling it “100 percent false.” A lawyer for Kushner said the account did not exist.

The book also describes discussions about a possible third account intended to serve as a reserve defense fund for the UAE.

The proposed arrangement reportedly formed part of secret diplomacy brokered by Kushner, under which Israel would defend the UAE if Iran attacked.

Israel and the UAE later normalized relations through the US-brokered Abraham Accords and have since cooperated closely on defense amid the recent conflict with Iran.

Cole reported that the arrangements may have violated US financial disclosure laws and could have involved bribery or undisclosed work on behalf of a foreign government.

He cited a former US prosecutor in discussing the potential legal violations.

Kushner rejected the allegations in a statement posted on X, calling them fabricated and saying the author had provided no evidence.

He said the claims had been denied on the record and described the book’s account as fiction presented as investigative journalism.

Friedman also denied the allegations. The report did not establish that the alleged accounts or arrangements had been independently verified.

(With files from timesofisrael.com, Agencies)