Robert Kraft says he supports Palestinians despite donations to Israeli military groups

Robert Kraft has said he has supported initiatives benefiting
Palestinians, while an analysis by The Intercept has highlighted
his long-standing donations to organizations supporting the Israeli
military and pro-Israel advocacy groups.

Days after reportedly pressuring pop singer Ed Sheeran to remove
rapper Macklemore from his tour over Macklemore’s “Free Palestine”
remarks, Kraft said in a statement posted to social media that he
had “for decades” supported efforts that create opportunities for
Palestinians.

Kraft said those initiatives included efforts “to build
businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships” between Israelis
and Palestinians. The statement accompanied his pledge to provide
$2 million in aid to the region.

Kraft did not disclose which organizations would receive the
funds.

The Intercept reported that Kraft has a history of donating to
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), an organization that
raises money on behalf of Israeli soldiers, as well as the United
Democracy Project, the super PAC affiliated with the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

The Intercept also reported that Kraft has donated to other
pro-Israel advocacy organizations that have criticized Israel’s
opponents and defended Israeli policies.

According to The Intercept’s analysis of tax filings dating back
to 2006, Kraft’s Kraft Family Foundation donated $196,000 to
Friends of the IDF. It also donated an additional $123,000 to
Brothers for Life and Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans,
organizations that directly benefit Israeli military personnel.

In seven separate donations to Friends of the IDF, Kraft
earmarked the funds to “Promote education for young Jewish
soldiers,” according to The Intercept.

Since 2020, Friends of the IDF has spent more than $20 million
on its lone soldier program, which supports young Jewish Americans
and Israelis without familial support who serve in the Israeli
military’s reserve soldier program, The Intercept reported. The
program has continued during Israel’s war in Gaza.

Kraft has also organized trips to Israel for former and current
NFL players. During a 2017 trip, he led a delegation of former
players on a visit to an Israeli Air Force base organized by
Friends of the IDF.

In 2019, Kraft donated $20 million to establish a new
organization, the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, now known as
the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate.

At the organization’s founding, Kraft pledged to oppose the
Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement,
describing the movement and “other efforts to delegitimize and
undermine the State of Israel” as among the most concerning issues
for the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Kraft at the
time, saying, “Israel does not have a more loyal friend than Robert
Kraft.”

Over the years, Kraft’s foundation has also donated $63,500 to
the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis
(CAMERA), a right-wing media watchdog group.

The Intercept reported that CAMERA has conducted pressure
campaigns targeting news outlets, journalists, students and
scholars it considers anti-Israel and has rejected allegations of
genocide in Gaza, referring to evidence of such allegations as the
“Gaza GenoLie.”

A $36,000 donation from Kraft to CAMERA in 2018 included the
memo “fighting antisemitism,” according to The Intercept.

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