A group of pro-Donald Trump Arab American citizens, have strongly condemned the United States president’s plan to take over the Gaza Strips.
The group also rejected Trumps proposal for the permanent resettlement of the more than two million Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan, saying we’re completely opposed to the idea of the transfer of Palestinians from anywhere in Historic Palestine.
Aside from that, the community, one of strongest supporters that played a key role in Trump’s voter outreach to the Arab American Community alongside his allies also rebranded itself few hours after the president held a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and proposed the U.S. take “ownership” in redeveloping the area into “the Riviera of the Middle East.
According to the Chairman, Bishara Bahbah, the group formerly known as Arab Americas for Trump would now be called Arab Americans for Peace.
“The talk about what the president wants to do with Gaza, obviously we’re completely opposed to the idea of the transfer of Palestinians from anywhere in Historic Palestine, and so we did not want to be behind the curve in terms of pushing for peace, because that has been our objective from the very beginning,” Bahbah said.
In a press release issued Wednesday by Arab Americans for Peace, the group said its members “appreciate the president’s offer to clean and rebuild Gaza” but “take issue with the president’s suggestion of taking over Gaza and removing its Palestinian inhabitants.”
The group, independent from the Trump campaign, frequently facilitated meetings between Arab American community leaders and Trump’s allies, including Richard Grenell, now serving as Trump’s envoy for special missions, and Massad Boulos, the father-in-law of Trump’s daughter Tiffany and now a senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
In the 2024 election, Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate to win Dearborn, Michigan, home to the nation’s largest concentration of Arab Americans, since 2000 on his way to winning the state. Trump visited Dearborn on Nov. 1.
