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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Elections & Politics

Billionaire on Trump’s Board of Peace revealed as donor to pro-Israel candidate efforts

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Documents & data Context piece
  • Marc Rowan, a billionaire appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump to the Board of Peace for Gaza, donated $1.5 million this year to the AIPAC-affiliated United Democracy Project.
  • The group spent money opposing Republican lawmaker Thomas Massie and Democratic candidates Abdul El-Sayed and Cori Bush, all described in the article as critics of Israel or its U.S. support.
  • The donations have drawn scrutiny because Rowan serves on a body tasked with implementing Trump’s stalled Gaza plan and has discussed the territory’s reconstruction potential.

Marc Rowan, the billionaire placed by U.S. President Donald Trump on the Board of Peace for Gaza, has been revealed as an active financial backer of efforts to block candidates who criticize Israel.

Federal Election Commission documents reviewed by The Intercept show that Rowan donated $1.5 million this year to United Democracy Project, a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. Rowan, the chief executive of Apollo Global Management, gave $1 million in early March and another $500,000 on July 23.

Now he sits on a board that will determine Gaza’s future.

· Raed JarrarThe Democracy for the Arab World Now advocacy director criticized Rowan’s political spending and his role on Trump’s board.

The first donation came as United Democracy Project began spending heavily against Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a vocal critic of U.S. military support for Israel. Massie ultimately failed in his reelection bid. On the day of Rowan’s second donation, the group spent nearly $50,000 on mailers in Michigan attacking Abdul El-Sayed, a pro-Palestinian progressive Democrat running for the U.S. Senate. It also spent another $100,000 on a phone operation targeting former Democratic Representative Cori Bush in Missouri, where she challenged AIPAC-backed incumbent Wesley Bell.

The Intercept said it could not determine which specific expenditures Rowan’s money directly funded. Neither Rowan nor United Democracy Project responded to the outlet’s requests for comment.

Palestinians did not choose him, and neither did American voters. Both Americans and Palestinians have the right to know whose interests are actually being advanced.

· Raed JarrarJarrar questioned Rowan’s legitimacy and the interests represented by the Board of Peace.

The spending has drawn particular scrutiny because Trump appointed Rowan to the Board of Peace in January. The board was tasked with carrying out the president’s stalled plan for Gaza. At a February meeting, Rowan presented Gaza’s economic reconstruction potential, even as much of the territory had been destroyed in the war launched by Israel.

“Now he sits on a board that will determine Gaza’s future,” Raed Jarrar, advocacy director at Democracy for the Arab World Now, told The Intercept. “Palestinians did not choose him, and neither did American voters. Both Americans and Palestinians have the right to know whose interests are actually being advanced.” Rowan said at the meeting, “The potential is enormous. This is not about money or guarantees. This is about peace.”

The potential is enormous. This is not about money or guarantees. This is about peace.

· Marc RowanRowan described Gaza’s reconstruction potential during a Board of Peace meeting.
About this summary

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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