In the span of a few years, the Republic of Albania has undergone a quiet but profound transformation. Once a peripheral Balkan state emerging from decades of communist isolation, Albania is now deepening its strategic embrace of Israel in a calculated partnership that spans diplomacy, cybersecurity, military production, and counter‑Iran operations. At the very center of this realignment, a billionaire real‑estate project—the Kushner family’s €1.4 billion plan to turn the former Soviet weapons base on Sazan Island (aka, “Trump Island”) into a luxury resort—stands as a physical monument to the capture of Albanian state policy by foreign and corporate interests. Through a critical examination of the Israel–Albania strategic axis and the Kushner investment, this essay argues that the country is being systematically transformed into a “Zionist‑friendly” client state, its sovereignty increasingly auctioned to the highest geopolitical bidder, with the Kushner resort acting as the most visible symbol of this process.
A “Low‑Cost, Politically Useful” Partnership: The Strategic Logic of Israel–Albania Ties
For Israel, Albania offers an almost ideal combination of strategic assets at minimal diplomatic cost. Albania is a Muslim‑majority country where approximately 60–70 percent of the population adheres to Islam, yet it maintains excellent relations with Israel, breaking the usual patterns of Islamic solidarity. More importantly, Albania is a full NATO member, a status it has held since 2009, and a close ally of the United States. For a state like Israel, increasingly isolated internationally over its conduct in Gaza and the West Bank, a Muslim‑majority NATO member that openly supports Israeli policies is a rare and valuable asset.
Recent reporting on the relationship emphasizes Albania’s low‑cost utility precisely because it carries little of the political risk associated with larger European partners such as Germany or France, where governments must navigate powerful pro‑Palestinian constituencies. Albania’s small population, peripheral geopolitical position, and hunger for Western investment make it an ideal partner for Israel’s strategic outreach into the Balkans.
Military and Intelligence Cooperation: The Deepening Security Axis
The security dimensions of the Israel–Albania partnership have accelerated at a remarkable pace. In January 2026, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Jerusalem, celebrating what Netanyahu called “a profound friendship” dating back to Albania’s unique role in sheltering Jews during the Holocaust. More substantively, the two leaders announced the deepening of cooperation in defense, security, and counterterrorism, with a specific focus on joint military production.
The centerpiece of this military cooperation is a partnership with Elbit Systems, Israel’s leading defense contractor. Albania has signed a €30 million contract with Elbit for the supply and production of military drones and anti‑drone systems, with the aim of producing “Made in Albania” defense systems for export. Defense Minister Ermal Nufi confirmed in May 2026 that the drone production agreement remains in effect despite rumors of NATO investigations into the deal. The arrangement involves converting a former copper plant in Rubik into a defense production hub, where Elbit will assemble drones and manufacture artillery and light arms.
This military partnership serves Israel’s strategic objectives on multiple levels. It deepens Albania’s dependency on Israeli technology and weapons systems, creates a local production node for Israeli defense equipment in Europe, and ties Albania more tightly to Israel’s broader security architecture. For Albania, the deal provides much‑needed modernization of its armed forces and the promise of domestic defense industry development—but at the price of subordinating a significant portion of its national security apparatus to Israeli corporate and state interests.
Cybersecurity and Counter‑Iran Operations
The cyber domain has emerged as a particularly critical arena for Israel–Albania cooperation. Albania suffered a series of devastating cyberattacks in July 2022, which the Albanian government attributed to state‑sponsored Iranian actors. In response, Tirana severed diplomatic relations with Tehran, positioning itself squarely on the anti‑Iran side of a widening Middle Eastern confrontation.
Israel has stepped in as a primary cybersecurity partner. In August 2025, the National Cyber Security Authority of Albania welcomed an Israeli delegation for a technical workshop aimed at strengthening “technical cooperation and exchanging best practices.” Albania affirmed Israel’s commitment to supporting Albania in building “a more secure, sustainable and trustworthy digital space for Albanian citizens and institutions.” By 2026, this cooperation had intensified to the point where Prime Minister Rama described the relationship as a “strategic partnership built on shared values and historical ties,” highlighted by an Albania‑Israel summit that brought together forty Israeli innovation companies focused on cybersecurity.
The cyber relationship is inextricably linked to the broader US‑Israel campaign against Iran. Albania’s decision to host members of the Mujahedeen‑e Khalq (MEK), an Iranian opposition group, on its territory has made it a target of Iranian retaliation. By positioning itself as a stalwart foe of the Islamic Republic, Albania has effectively become a proxy in the Iran‑Israel cyber war, a role that serves Israeli strategic interests at significant risk to Albanian national security.
The Balkans as a Geopolitical Chessboard
Israel’s courting of Albania must be understood within the broader context of its Balkan strategy. Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s historic visits to Serbia and Albania in September 2024 underscored a concerted diplomatic push to expand Israeli influence in Southeastern Europe. Analysts note that these efforts are driven by “the erosion of Iranian influence in the Balkans, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo,” which Tehran had backed against Serbia during the 1990s war.
Albania has proven particularly receptive to this outreach. In response to the escalating Middle East conflict, Tirana has adopted “the most decisive position in the region,” with Prime Minister Rama openly expressing support for US and Israeli military actions. This stance aligns Albania with the “pro‑Atlantic bloc” in the Balkans, alongside Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, while Serbia pursues a more neutral posture balancing between East and West.
For Israel, having a reliable Muslim‑majority partner in the Balkans offers multiple strategic benefits: it provides a friendly voice in a predominantly Christian Orthodox region, creates a foothold in a strategically important corridor between Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, and signals to other Muslim‑majority states that alignment with Israel is not only possible but potentially advantageous.
The Kushner Resort: Real Estate as Geopolitical Instrument
The most striking physical manifestation of this deepening Israel–Albania relationship is the €1.4 billion plan by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner to transform the abandoned Soviet weapons base on Sazan Island into a luxury resort. The project, which received preliminary approval from the Albanian government in late 2024, involves developing 45 hectares of the largely uninhabited island into a marina, luxury residences, restaurants, and other amenities.
The timing and circumstances of the approval are deeply troubling. The government granted “strategic investor” status to Kushner’s company, Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC, just weeks before Donald Trump’s second inauguration. This status offers fast‑track procedures, tax incentives, and—most alarmingly—the ability to bypass environmental protections and standard public procurement rules. The government even amended the Protected Areas Law to allow construction of five‑star hotels anywhere in the country, including protected natural areas, to accommodate the project.
The Sazan Island project is not merely a luxury real‑estate venture; it is a nexus of personal, political, and strategic interests. Kushner has deep personal and financial ties to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, having served as a senior advisor in the Trump administration and maintained ongoing business relationships with Israeli entities. Affinity Partners, the investment vehicle through which Kushner is funding the project, was created specifically “to use Saudi money to cross‑fertilize investment between Israel and the Arab world.” In other words, the resort is financed by a structure designed to serve Israeli strategic economic objectives, with Albania as the host site.
Environmental and Sovereignty Concerns
The Sazan development has drawn fierce criticism from environmental organizations. Forty‑one groups from twenty‑eight countries have called for the project’s suspension, warning that it poses “serious risks to the biodiversity and critical habitats” of an area that hosts endangered species including the Mediterranean monk seal. The island sits within a Marine National Park and waters designated as a Specifically Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance.
Even more alarming, the island remains littered with unexploded ordnance from World War II. Official documents reveal that across a marine area of 5,000 square meters, artillery shells, anti‑submarine mines, and tons of explosives lie undetonated on almost every side of the island. Naval expert Artur Mecollari questions whether tourists will ever be safe on the island, noting that “if you clear only the area where construction will take place, the remainder becomes a problem for the future.” The fact that the government has proceeded with “strategic investor” status despite these life‑threatening hazards indicates the extent to which regulatory safeguards have been discarded to accommodate the Kushner project.
Beyond the environmental risks, the project raises profound questions about Albanian sovereignty. A local resident told Jacobin magazine: “They came with a big military escort, and our boats had to keep away. They didn’t consult us, of course. One day our Prime Minister just came on TV and told us the island was sold.” The government’s willingness to rewrite laws, waive competitive bidding processes, and offer state‑owned property with the Albanian state as a partner in the deal suggests a troubling pattern: Albanian national assets are being transferred to politically connected foreign interests with minimal public scrutiny or accountability.
The Transformation of Albanian Foreign Policy
The Israel‑Albania alignment has fundamentally reshaped Tirana’s foreign policy, often in ways that seem contrary to its own national interests. During the Gaza war, Albania has consistently voted in favor of Israel or abstained, while never condemning Israeli war crimes or the mounting Palestinian death toll. Prime Minister Rama has defended Israel in the strongest possible terms, telling the Knesset that “the jailer of Gaza is Hamas, no one else but Hamas” and arguing that no peace is possible until Hamas is fully dismantled.
This position has drawn criticism from Albanian analysts, who note that Rama’s government “has no clear plan” and is guided more by “personal instinct” than national interest. Meanwhile, Albania has become Israel’s third‑largest supplier of fuel oil, shipping over 70,000 tonnes in 2024, effectively fueling the Israeli war machine.
The tension between Albania’s majority Muslim population and the government’s pro‑Israel posture has not gone unnoticed. One Albanian commentator notes that although 60–70 percent of Albanians are Muslim, and “in a war that violates international rules, due to religious sentiment they would lean towards Muslims,” the government has consistently aligned with Israel. This gap between popular sentiment and state policy suggests that the elite‑driven alignment with Israel is not a reflection of genuine public consensus but rather a calculated move by a governing class that has become increasingly disconnected from its own citizenry.
Conclusion: Albania as a Zionist Client State
The evidence is compelling: Albania is being systematically transformed into a state whose foreign and security policies are increasingly aligned with and dependent upon Israeli strategic interests. The military agreements with Elbit Systems, the cyber cooperation that positions Tirana as a frontline state in the Iran‑Israel conflict, the diplomatic alignment with Israel’s Gaza policies despite majority Muslim public sentiment, and—most visibly—the Kushner luxury resort on Sazan Island all point to a deepening relationship that subordinates Albanian sovereignty to external interests.
The Kushner project is not merely an investment; it is the physical emblem of this transformation. A former Soviet weapons base, once a site of Albanian national defense, is being handed over to American developers with deep ties to Israeli political and financial networks. The Albanian state has rewritten its environmental laws, fast‑tracked approvals, and accepted significant safety risks to accommodate a project that will serve an elite clientele while destroying protected marine habitats.
Whether this transformation serves the long‑term interests of the Albanian people is highly questionable. The security benefits of Israeli military technology come at the price of becoming a target for Iranian retaliation. The diplomatic alignment with Israel offers short‑term political currency with Washington but isolates Tirana from much of the Global South and alienates a significant portion of its own population. And the Kushner resort, while promising jobs and investment, threatens environmental destruction and creates a precedent for the privatization of national assets by politically connected foreign interests.
In the final analysis, Albania is indeed on track to becoming a “Zionist‑friendly” country—but the term carries profoundly troubling implications. It suggests a state whose policies are shaped not by the democratic will of its people or the objective assessment of its national interests, but by the strategic calculations of a foreign power and the profit motives of politically connected developers. The Sazan Island resort will likely be built; the cyber and military cooperation will continue; and Albania will remain a useful, low‑cost partner for Israel. But the cost of this partnership—measured in environmental degradation, diminished sovereignty, and the erosion of democratic accountability—may prove far higher than the Albanian people ever imagined. Aligning with a genocidal state, and its enablers, is never a good thing.
