Telegraph raises potential conflicts of interest in Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace

The Telegraph raised questions about potential conflicts of interest among members of Donald Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace because of investment ties. RBC summarized the investigation and companies’ responses on October 10.

The newspaper reported that five board participants were linked through Phoenix Financial to Israeli weapons manufacturer Smart Shooter, which received a U.S. military contract worth up to $150 million. Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners holds 7.4 percent of Phoenix Financial.

The reporting does not assert that Kushner or other board participants knew about the contract or influenced its award. Their exposure to Smart Shooter is described as indirect, through the financial company.

Affinity Partners said its Phoenix investment preceded Trump’s return to the White House and Kushner’s renewed diplomatic work. It denied that he used that work for personal benefit and said the fund neither owns nor controls Smart Shooter.

According to the investigation, Phoenix also holds stakes in 11 companies linked to Israeli settlements in the West Bank and included on a UN list. Apollo, led by executive-board participant Marc Rowan, said it does not hold a stake in Phoenix. It put its partnership with the firm at less than 0.5 percent of assets under management.

A separate issue concerns Bashar Masri. More than 200 Americans filed a lawsuit accusing him and associated companies of assisting Hamas. Masri’s representatives rejected the allegations. The filing itself does not establish their validity.

The Telegraph also described Qatari financing: Qatari Diar supports the Masri-linked city of Rawabi and construction of Trump International in Qatar. The newspaper presents these connections as grounds for scrutiny of commercial and diplomatic roles, rather than a proven violation.

In August, the board and Benjamin Netanyahu agreed on working groups addressing Gaza’s disarmament and its sanitation, water and public health. The Israeli prime minister’s office described demilitarization as a condition for reconstruction to begin.