U.S. President Donald Trump's top adviser on brokering peace in Palestine formerly co-directed a foundation that funded illegal Israeli settlements.
According to Newsweek, Jared Kushner, who is also Trump's son-in-law and an Orthodox Jew, neglected to disclose his role as the co-director of Charles and Seryl Kushner Foundation from 2006 to 2015.
During that time, the organization was actively funding an Israeli settlement which was internationally agreed upon Palestinian land.
The settlements, a strong point of contention between Israelis and Palestinians, are considered illegal under international law. The United Nations (UN) and many countries around the world continually condemn the expansion of settlements, which demolish homes and steal lands from Palestinians.
Kushner omitted to disclose his role with the organization on financial records he filed with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics earlier this year.
The revelation also comes after reports that Kushner allegedly attempted to sway a UN Security Council vote against an anti-settlement resolution passed just prior to Trump taking office.
The news also comes following reports that Trump is about to announce a decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, officially recognizing the disputed city as the Israeli capital.
Palestinian leaders, activists, and Middle East experts have all warned that such a decision would be seen as disregarding Palestinian interests and could lead to unrest and violence.
Not denying the rumors, Kushner said on Sunday that "the president's going to make his decision," according to The Telegraph.
"He's still looking at a lot of different facts and when he makes his decision he'll be the one who wants to tell you."
Previously, Trump has said that he "can live" with a one-state solution, going against decades of established U.S. policy.
"I’m looking at two-state and at one-state, and I like the one that both parties like ... I can live with either one," Trump said, during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February.
"I thought the two-state [solution] looked easier for a while," he said, but explained that he would leave the final solution up to Palestinian and Israeli negotiators.
At the same time, even Trump appeared to criticize the continued expansion of illegal Israel settlements.
"I would like to see you hold back on settlements for a little bit," Trump stated, directing the comments at Netanyahu.
An earlier statement from his administration suggested that rapid settlement expansion was a hindrance to the peace process. Nonetheless, since Trump's election, Israel approved legislation to legally recognize illegal settlements built on private Palestinian land, while announcing 11,000 new settler homes in the West Bank.
Kushner and Trump have also appeared to cozy up to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations, who have similar regional concerns to those of Israel.
Over the weekend, Kushner directly suggested that Saudi Arabia and Israel have common interests.
"A lot of countries in the Middle East want the same thing – economic progress, peace for their people. Many countries in the region see Israel as a much more likely ally than it was 20 years ago because of Iran, because of ISIS. A lot of people want to see it put together," he said, according to Middle East Eye.
"The Saudis care a lot about the Palestinian people, they believe the Palestinian people need to have hope and opportunity, and this has been a big priority for the king and the crown prince – finding a solution to this problem," he continued.
How all the chips will fall remains to be seen. One thing is clear, Kushner has a clear bias for the Israeli side. Leading an organization that funded settlement expansion – which generally house individuals from the far-right of Israeli politics – is more than telling of where he stands when it comes to the "peace process".