Book Alleges Netanyahu Guided Jared Kushner on Secret UAE Funds Deposit
A new investigative book by Matthew Cole alleges that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advised Jared Kushner to deposit secret UAE funds into the Bank of Israel. Kushner vehemently denies the claims.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly encouraged Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, to transfer roughly one billion dollars received secretly from the United Arab Emirates into an account at the Bank of Israel, and demanded advance briefings on any actions involving the funds. This claim is put forward by American investigative journalist Matthew Cole in his new book, excerpts of which were published Thursday in Vanity Fair.
Cole, a veteran journalist who has covered the U.S. intelligence community for over two decades, writes that the funds—transferred to Israel via Azerbaijan in 2018—were allegedly intended for Kushner's personal benefit as part of a secretive network of accounts totaling some two billion dollars. These accounts were reportedly financed by the rulers of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia during Trump's first term. Kushner has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them baseless fabrications lacking any supporting evidence.
The book, which relies on intelligence sources and individuals reportedly familiar with the secret arrangements, asserts that Netanyahu was involved in managing one of the accounts. A source briefed on the arrangement told Cole that Netanyahu recommended Kushner deposit the money in the Bank of Israel in a manner that would make it appear to be a government account. Notably, private accounts cannot be opened at the Bank of Israel. The publication also claims that Netanyahu demanded Kushner keep him informed prior to executing any transfers from the account, with messages reportedly relayed through then-U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
Friedman categorically denied any involvement, stating he knew nothing of the allegations and that claims regarding his role in the purported scheme were entirely false. The investigation alleges the arrangement aimed to conceal ties between funds transferred by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed and Kushner. Another source claimed a significant portion of the money was subsequently moved to bank accounts in Cyprus and onward to other destinations.
According to Cole, the narrative begins in late 2017 when Dutch military intelligence discovered that Russian hackers had breached the phone of Kushner, then a senior White House adviser handling Middle East policy. Dutch intelligence confronted a Russian operative in Britain, giving him a choice between cooperating or facing espionage charges. He chose to cooperate, granting access to a secret Russian server containing screenshots from Kushner's iPhone. Dutch operatives subsequently monitored Kushner accessing a Dubai bank account containing hundreds of millions of dollars routed through an Azerbaijani bank.
The account, dubbed "Alpha" in the report, was held at First Abu Dhabi Bank under the name of an Emirati charity close to the regime. However, Kushner was reportedly granted authorization to operate the account and execute transfers. According to the investigation, Saudi Arabia and the UAE funneled roughly 750 million dollars into the account starting in 2017 to finance Middle East policy maneuvers and covert operations.
Kushner dismissed the report on social media network X, writing that the allegations are completely insane, entirely false, and never happened. He noted that despite intense public scrutiny, congressional investigations, and a special counsel probe during his time in public office, none of these claims ever surfaced because the events described never occurred. Cole's book, titled Princes and Thieves, is scheduled for release next week.
