Arab American, Muslim leaders decry Trump comments on Gaza

U.S. Arab American and Muslim leaders, including some who supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election, criticized the president's proposal for the U.S. to take over Gaza and resettle Palestinians, but some of them said they still believed he was the best option for lasting peace in the region.

The leaders largely dismissed Trump's comments as unrealistic bluster and said he was unlikely to pay a big political price in the community.

"We believe that his ideas, as well-intentioned as they might be, rubbed a lot of people the wrong way," Bishara Bahbah, who founded Arab Americans for Trump and helped rally support for him in Michigan and other battleground states, told Reuters.

"We're opposed to any transfer of Palestinians, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, out of their homeland."

Bahbah said he still supports Trump, seeing him as the best option to avoid conflict in Gaza. He said his organization changed its name to Arab Americans for Peace two days ago, reflecting its shift in focus following Trump's election.

Trump outlined the idea for the U.S. to "take over" Gaza during a White House press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. Trump also floated a proposal to relocate Palestinians to neighboring countries and redevelop the war-torn territory into a "Riviera of the Middle East," while not ruling out the deployment of U.S. troops.

The move by Arab Americans and Muslims away from the Democratic Party likely factored into Trump's victory, with the largest impact in the swing state of Michigan, home to the country's biggest population of Arabs, Muslims and Palestinians.

Many in the community voted against then-Vice President Kamala Harris to protest the Biden administration's support of Israel's war on Gaza in retaliation for the October 7, 2023 attacks. Some also credit Trump with orchestrating a ceasefire, even though it happened before he entered the White House.

A nationwide exit poll conducted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations advocacy group showed that 53% of Muslims voted for Green Party candidate Jill Stein in the 2024 election, with Trump and Harris picking up 21% and 20%, respectively. The poll, which surveyed 1,575 Muslim voters via text message, marked a sharp constrast with 2020, when 69% of Muslim Americans voted for Biden and only 17% went for Trump.

Rabiul Chowdhury, co-founder of Muslims for Trump, said that while he was frustrated that no viable long-term solution for peace and rebuilding was being discussed for Gaza, he does not regret backing Trump.

"Conflating Trump's rhetoric with the actions of Biden and Harris is not only disingenuous but outright dishonest," he said, criticizing the Biden administration's supply of weapons and other support for Israel while it bombed Gaza. "If we were to equate Trump's actions with those of Biden and Harris, the contrast would be undeniable — Trump is the better option."

Former President Joe Biden's administration stood firmly by Israel during its assault on Gaza despite repeatedly pushing Israel to do more to curb civilian casualties and allow humanitarian aid into the enclave. Biden also hailed a ceasefire deal that went into effect last month as largely mirroring the framework of a proposal he made last year.

Osama Siblani, publisher of Arab American News based in Dearborn, Michigan, said he didn't think many people in the community would regret their decision to either back Trump or withhold a vote for Harris due to her support of Israel.

But Siblani, a spokesperson for the Arab American Political Action Committee, which endorsed neither candidate in the 2024 election, likened Trump's rhetoric to that of a "crazy man" and said they would not advance the cause of peace.

"Instead of helping people to recover, he's trying to take advantage of their of their misery," he told Reuters. "I can't believe that a president of the United States is making such a suggestion."

Yahya Basha, a doctor and founder of Muslims for American Progress, said he was not surprised by Trump's comments, given earlier statements by his son-in-law Jared Kushner about Gaza being a good site for a future resort, but remained skeptical that the U.S. would execute those plans.

"I don't regret anything I did to get Trump elected and I hope we see positive signs in the future," said Basha, an early advocate for Trump in Michigan.

Instead, he said he believed Trump's comments were often provocative rather than the basis of policy, citing his comments on buying Greenland or to make Canada the 51st state of the U.S.

Yemeni-American Samra’a Luqman, a registered Democrat who voted for Trump in 2024 in the hopes he would bring about a ceasefire in Gaza, said she did not support Trump’s proposal for a U.S. takeover. But she said she still views Trump more favorably compared to the actions of the Biden administration.

"I'm not pleased that I'm hearing things about people being displaced from their homeland for good, but at least they are not being killed off by the thousands or hundreds per day as we have seen in the last year," said Luqman, a 42-year-old resident of Dearborn, Michigan.

** Trump aides defend Gaza takeover proposal but walk back some elements

President Donald Trump's top aides staunchly defended his push to transfer Palestinians out of Gaza and have the U.S. take over the war-ruined enclave, but they also backed away from elements of his proposal in the face of international condemnation.

A longtime New York property developer, Trump drew rebukes on Wednesday from world powers Russia, China and Germany, which said it would foster "new suffering and new hatred." Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia rejected the proposal outright.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Trump's proposal was "remarkable" and urged that it be explored, even as he was not specific about what he believed Trump was offering.

Barely two weeks in the job, Trump shattered decades of U.S. policy on Tuesday with a vaguely worded announcement saying he envisioned transforming Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East" where international communities could coexist after nearly 16 months of Israeli bombardment devastated the coastal strip and killed more than 47,000 people, according to Palestinian tallies.

At a White House briefing on Wednesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt hailed his Gaza proposal as historic "outside of the box" thinking but stressed that the president had not committed to putting "boots on the ground" in the territory. She declined, however, to rule out the use of U.S. troops there.

At the same time, Leavitt walked back Trump's earlier assertion that Gazans needed to be permanently resettled in neighboring countries, saying instead that they should be "temporarily relocated" for the rebuilding process.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said the idea was for Gazans to leave the territory for an "interim" period of reconstruction and debris-clearing.

In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu only vaguely addressed Trump's proposal, saying he did not believe the president was suggesting sending U.S. troops to fight Hamas in Gaza or that the United States would finance rebuilding efforts there.

Netanyahu, who met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, said he supports Trump's suggestion that Gazans be free to leave and return to the war-ravaged area.

"They can leave, they can then come back. They can relocate and come back," he said.

"It's a remarkable idea and I think it should be really pursued, examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone," Netanyahu said without offering specifics.

It was unclear whether Trump would go ahead with his proposal or, in keeping with his self-image as a shrewd dealmaker, was simply laying out an extreme position as a bargaining ploy. His first term was replete with what critics said were over-the-top foreign policy pronouncements, many of which were never implemented.

Trump's son-in-law and former aide, Jared Kushner, last year described Gaza as valuable waterfront property, and on Tuesday Trump made similar claims as he called for the permanent resettlement of the more than 2 million Palestinians from there.

Some experts said the proposed actions could violate international law. Others described his ideas as unworkable. Human rights advocates said it would amount to "ethnic cleansing."

"Everybody loves it," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office earlier on Wednesday, referring to his Gaza idea.

Trump's proposal, however, appears to run counter to U.S. public opinion, which polls have shown is overwhelmingly opposed to new entanglements in conflict zones following lengthy military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Trump frequently asserted during the 2024 election campaign and since returning to office that he would end what he called "ridiculous" wars and prevent others from starting.

His Gaza proposal drew broad condemnation from Democratic lawmakers but confusion and skepticism from some fellow Republicans, while others praised the moves as bold.

[1/9]A Palestinian sits among the rubble of buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip February 4, 2025.... Purchase Licensing Rights Read more

"I thought we voted for America first," Republican Senator Rand Paul said on X. "We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers blood."

On a trip to Guatemala, Rubio, apparently seeking to counter the wave of global criticism, insisted Trump's proposal was not a hostile move but a generous one that expressed "the willingness of the United States to become responsible for the reconstruction of that area."

In contrast, Leavitt said U.S. taxpayers would not foot the bill and that Trump would strike a deal with regional partners.

'TRUMP CAN GO TO HELL'

Jordan's King Abdullah, who will meet Trump at the White House next week, said he rejected any moves to annex land and displace Palestinians. Egypt said it would back Gaza recovery plans, following a ceasefire that took effect on Jan. 19, without Palestinians leaving the territory.

In Gaza, Palestinians living among the wreckage of their former homes said they would never accept the idea.

"Trump can go to hell, with his ideas, with his money, and with his beliefs. We are going nowhere. We are not some of his assets," said Samir Abu Basel, a father of five in Gaza City displaced from his house by the war.

Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has talked about a U.S. takeover of Greenland, warned of the possible seizure of the Panama Canal and declared that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.

Some critics have said his expansionist rhetoric echoes old-style imperialism, suggesting it could encourage Russia in its war in Ukraine and give China justification for invading self-ruled Taiwan.

World leaders said they remained supportive of the two-state solution that has formed the basis of U.S. policy in the region for decades, which has held that Gaza would be part of a future Palestinian state that includes the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, before a meeting with Netanyahu, that the Pentagon was "prepared to look at all options" related to Gaza. Experts say a major deployment of U.S. forces would be needed to secure Gaza if Trump implements his proposal.

'RIDICULOUS AND ABSURD'

An official from the Palestinian militant group Hamas called Trump's proposal "ridiculous and absurd." Hamas ruled the Gaza Strip before the war there, which was triggered by its October 7, 2023, cross-border attack on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 abducted, according to Israeli tallies.

"Any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region," Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters, saying Hamas remains committed to the ceasefire accord with Israel and negotiating its next phase.

What impact Trump's proposals have on indirect talks over the second stage of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal was unclear. Hamas has adamantly insisted it wants to remain in Gaza while Netanyahu has vowed to destroy the group and never allow it to again rule the territory.

Trump's proposal raises questions about whether Saudi Arabia would be willing to join a renewed U.S.-brokered push for a historic normalisation of relations with Israel.

Saudi Arabia, a pivotal U.S. ally in the Middle East, said it would not establish ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state, contradicting Trump's claim that Riyadh was not demanding a Palestinian homeland.

Trump would like Saudi Arabia to follow in the footsteps of the United Arab Emirates, a Middle East trade and business hub, and Bahrain, both of which signed the Abraham Accords in 2020 and normalised ties with Israel.

But on Wednesday, the kingdom's foreign ministry said Saudi Arabia rejected any attempts to remove Palestinians from their land and said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had affirmed this position in "a clear and explicit manner."

Reuters