Billionaire enterprise capitalist and Trump in-law Josh Kushner slapped down on-line criticism of a tech government who visited Israel and posted a picture of the Tel Aviv beachfront on social media.
Kushner, the brother of President-elect Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, took to the social media platform X on Wednesday to defend Patrick Collison, the co-founder and CEO of fee processing agency Stripe.
Collison, whose firm is partially owned by Kushner’s enterprise capital agency Thrive Capital, brought about a stir amongst pro-Palestinian supporters on X after he posted a picture exhibiting Tel Aviv’s beachfront promenade in a photograph that seems to have been taken early within the morning on Wednesday.
“Great to be back in Tel Aviv. I missed this run,” Collison wrote.
Collison’s seemingly innocuous submit went viral, producing greater than 14,000 likes in addition to hundreds of feedback — lots of them from pro-Palestinian sympathizers who famous the hundreds who’ve died on account of Israeli navy actions launched within the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023 massacres.
Paul Biggar, a software program engineer and pro-Palestinian activist, responded to Collison’s submit by writing: “Ten people reached out to me about this tweet. Sad day.”
Kushner wrote: “agree. saddened by how much hatred people have for jews. happy thanksgiving.”
Biggar, who urged his followers on social media to boycott Stripe, replied to Kushner’s remark, writing: “Why do you think this is about Jewish people? This is about Israel and its occupation and genocide in Palestine.”
“It is a tactic of Israel and their supporters to label criticism of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, and genocide of Palestinians as ‘anti-semitism’,” Biggar advised The Submit through e-mail.
“This is of course absurd. Kushner is attempting to silence criticism of a genocide.”
The Submit has sought remark from Kushner and Collison.
It’s uncommon for Josh Kushner, 39, to weigh in on hot-button political points. His social media web page primarily consists of posts associated to his enterprise ventures, together with Oscar Well being, the medical health insurance firm he co-founded in 2012.
In December of final 12 months, he reacted to then-Harvard President Claudine Homosexual’s testimony earlier than Congress wherein she defended her administration’s dealing with of alleged antisemitic incidents on campus associated to the Israel-Gaza disaster.
Kushner, who like his brother attended Harvard, wrote: “congressional testimonies speak louder than tweets. harvard is better than this.” The submit included an emoji depicted a damaged coronary heart.
The Kushners are scions of a outstanding New Jersey household that constructed a multi-billion greenback actual property empire. Their father, Charles Kushner, is an actual property developer who based Kushner Corporations along with his dad, the late Joseph Kushner.
The Kushner household practices Orthodox Judaism. Their adherence to the faith is such that the well-known wives of Jared and Josh Kushner — Ivanka Trump and supermodel Karlie Kloss, respectively — each transformed to Judaism earlier than exchanging nuptials.
After the Oct. 7, 2023 massacres by Hamas terrorists, Josh Kushner wrote: “I am heartbroken by the horrific atrocities that took place in Israel this weekend”
“My grandmother witnessed her mother murdered by the Nazis in front of her eyes because of her Jewish faith,” he wrote.
“It is hard to comprehend that we still live in a world in which hatred is the answer. The murder of innocent civilians is never justified.”
