Watan–“It is dangerous, provocative, and illegal, and it disregards the needs of the Palestinians. If the residents of Gaza are to move anywhere, it should be to their villages in Israel from which they were expelled in 1948.”
This is how James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, described Trump’s statements, which sparked widespread outrage among Palestinians and Arab Americans, including those who had previously supported the U.S. president.
Zogby’s remarks were included in a report by The Guardian’s breaking news correspondent, Anna Bates, which discussed the “violent” reactions to Trump’s intention to seize Gaza and resettle Palestinians in Arab countries.
Exploiting the Issue
Following Trump’s “shocking” statements, a group that had previously supported him in the elections changed its name from “Arab Americans for Trump” to “Arab Americans for Peace”, signaling their outright rejection of Trump’s proposal, according to the report.
The report pointed out that Trump had taken advantage of the Arab and Muslim communities’ dissatisfaction with former President Joe Biden’s policies on Gaza, which had resulted in the current president gaining significant popularity in some communities during the elections.
It also noted the widespread protests against Biden, as the “Uncommitted” campaign deprived him of more than 700,000 votes in the Democratic primary elections in an effort to pressure him into changing his policy.
Democrats’ Failure
According to the report, the national “Uncommitted” movement opposed Trump for his policies and opposed Harris for her refusal to deviate from Biden’s stance on Gaza.
In this context, Laila Al-Abd, one of the movement’s founders, expressed deep frustration, saying she felt “sad, angry, and fearful for Palestinian communities.”
She went on to describe Trump’s statements as “illegal” and supportive of “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.” She also criticized the Democrats for failing to engage with voters on issues that matter to them, such as Gaza, allowing Trump to exploit the anger and grief of Muslim communities to gain power, according to the report.
The report also included the opinion of Waleed Shahid, a former organizer in the movement, who said that Democratic leaders ignored voters’ concerns, which led to their loss. “They don’t listen to voters; they mock them,” he said.
Political Outrage
According to the report, Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib—the only Palestinian-American member of Congress—condemned Trump’s statements, asserting that “Palestinians are not going anywhere.” She accused both parties of allowing violence against Palestinians to continue.
Wa’el Al-Zayat, CEO of Emgage USA, an advocacy organization for American Muslims, blamed Biden’s policies, calling them the root cause of the issue.
The report quoted Al-Zayat’s sarcastic remark: “The reason Trump is thinking about turning Gaza’s ruins into Miami-style luxury apartments—which his son-in-law Jared Kushner might benefit from—is that he supplied the Israelis with the bombs.”
Georgia Representative Ruwa Romman, an American of Palestinian descent, also expressed her frustration with both political parties, stating, “Everyone has failed; everyone is responsible for the situation we are in today.”
Romman emphasized Palestinian resilience, declaring, “No fascist, here or abroad, will be able to erase the Palestinians.”
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