Beshara Bahbah: The Mysterious Palestinian-American Broker Between Hamas and Trump

Watan-Amid the raging fire in Gaza and the silence of Arab capitals, an unfamiliar name has unexpectedly stepped into the spotlight: Beshara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American businessman with no official diplomatic or security title—yet he has become the “architect of secret contacts” between Hamas and Donald Trump’s team.

So who is this man, and why is his name suddenly making headlines?

According to U.S. outlet Axios, unofficial communication channels were quietly opened between a Hamas official based outside Gaza and Beshara Bahbah, who gained direct access through Suha Arafat, the widow of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. In early 2025, she reportedly gave Bahbah the contact number of Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad, sparking a series of covert exchanges during one of the most complex phases of the war.

Bahbah, the founder of the group Arab Americans for Trump, transitioned from being a political donor and campaign supporter to a behind-the-scenes political mediator, marketing himself as a bridge for peace between the Trump camp and Hamas.

🔴خرج اسم لم يكن في الحسبان هو “بشارة بحبح”.. رجل فلسطيني – أميركي لم يكن دبلوماسيًا ولا جنرالًا لكنه أصبح فجأة همزة وصل بين حـ.ـمـ.ـاس و #ترامب!

قناة سرية لم تكن لتُفتح لولا دور محوري لشخصية أكثر غرابة هي “سهى عرفات” أرملة الزعيم الفلسطيني الراحل ياسر عرفات.. فما علاقتها… pic.twitter.com/SF4O31Dqyk

— وطن. يغرد خارج السرب (@watanserb_news) May 29, 2025

The first public outcome of these talks was the release of dual U.S.-Israeli soldier Idan Alexander in May 2025, despite the second half of the deal— a ceasefire—never being implemented.

Now residing in Doha, Qatar, Bahbah is deeply involved in sensitive negotiations with Trump’s advisors and security figures, amid leaks surrounding a U.S. plan dubbed the “Middle East Riviera”—a controversial proposal allegedly aimed at relocating Gaza’s population.

Interestingly, Bahbah rejected that plan outright, declaring, “You cannot uproot people from their land just to please Israel.”

So, is Bahbah an ally of the resistance, or a strategic U.S. pressure tool? Is he working to save Palestinians—or to broker a questionable peace deal?

Though not an official envoy, Beshara Bahbah now speaks for two opposing worlds: the Trump administration and its battlefield adversary, Hamas.

Will he mark the beginning of political recognition? Or is he just another face of covert diplomacy revealed only when convenient?