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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