From Palestine to Kushner: How Rama Changed Sides — and Why It Connects to the Resort Deal

Understanding the Kushner resort deal in full requires understanding a shift in Albanian foreign policy that most international observers have missed: how Edi Rama's government transformed Albania from a country with traditional solidarity for Palestine into one of Israel's most vocal defenders — and why that shift connects directly to the political ecosystem that produced the Kushner deal.

ALBANIA'S HISTORICAL POSITION

During the communist period, Albania was formally aligned with the Palestinian cause. The communist regime of Enver Hoxha provided weapons, training, funds, and political support to the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). As US influence in Albania increased after 1991 and the communist era ended, political support for Palestinian rights began to diminish. This was not unique to Albania: many post-communist European states recalibrated their foreign policy positions toward US and Israeli alignment as they sought NATO membership and Western integration.

RAMA'S TRANSFORMATION

Under Rama, Albania has gone significantly further. According to the Untold magazine analysis "Coloniality by proxy: Albania's road to Brussels runs through Tel Aviv," Albania has aligned itself with Israel in ways that set it apart from most Muslim-majority countries and even from many EU candidates. Rama has spoken at the UN in defence of Israel's actions in Gaza. He has said "Albania stands firm in its position that there is no place for Hamas and its likes in the world we want to live in" — declaring an absolute position rather than calling for humanitarian law and civilian protection. The Middle East Monitor and Daily Sabah reported that Rama has "shielded Israel from accountability" and defended Israel "while ignoring genocide and deaths in Gaza." Rama gave an interview to the Jerusalem Post praising the Israel-Albania relationship. Albanian officials participated in meetings at the Knesset. This is a remarkable trajectory for a Prime Minister whose country is more than 50% Muslim — and for a region where such explicit alignment is not the norm.

THE CONNECTION TO KUSHNER

The connection between Rama's pro-Israel shift and the Kushner deal is not merely one of political compatibility — it is structural. Jared Kushner, while serving as Senior Adviser to President Trump, was the architect of the Abraham Accords, the normalisation agreements between Israel and several Arab states. He is deeply connected to the Israeli right-wing political establishment and to Gulf financiers who supported the Abraham Accords framework. When Rama positioned Albania as one of Israel's most reliable allies, he was also signalling alignment with exactly the political network that Kushner represents: the Trump-Gulf-Israel axis. The Kushner deal, which was approved with remarkable speed after Trump's election in 2024, fits neatly into this political alignment. Albania under Rama had made itself useful to this network. The reward was a $6 billion investment proposal.

WHAT ALBANIANS THINK

Many Albanian citizens are uncomfortable with this shift. Albania has a majority Muslim population — estimated at around 56% — and Albanian Muslim identity, while traditionally moderate, includes a sense of solidarity with other Muslim communities. Rama's explicit defence of Israeli actions in Gaza was criticised by Albanian civil society groups, Islamic community leaders, and opposition politicians. But Rama's control of media made public debate on this topic difficult. The connection between the pro-Israel political alignment and the Kushner deal has not been a central theme of the protests — the protests focus on environment, democracy and corruption — but it forms part of the broader picture of how Albania's foreign policy and domestic governance have been shaped by the same logic: alignment with powerful American interests, in exchange for political support and investment.

THE PATTERN

Rama's political choices form a consistent pattern: align closely with the most powerful available American political actor, give that actor what they want in Albania, and receive political protection and investment in return. This is not unique to Albania — small countries often navigate great-power relationships this way. But the Kushner deal represents the most direct and visible example of what that alignment costs: protected coastline, democratic process, environmental law, and the trust of Albanian citizens.