Muslim Americans and Anti-War Groups Condemn Netanyahu-Trump Meeting

Watan-A coalition of anti-war, pro-Palestine civil liberties, and activist groups on Tuesday called on U.S. President Donald Trump to take a firm stance against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their scheduled White House meeting. Activists pointed out that Trump had previously intervened to secure a Gaza ceasefire and urged him to take similar action now.

The groups argue that the meeting should not have taken place at all, given that Netanyahu faces an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. However, because neither the U.S. nor Israel is a signatory to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, Netanyahu can travel to Washington without the risk of arrest.

Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to visit Trump during his second term. While Trump has expressed interest in pursuing a lasting peace in the Middle East, Netanyahu has signaled his willingness to resume military operations in Gaza—an action that could strengthen his fragile far-right coalition government.

Calls for Accountability

“President Trump has an incredible opportunity now,” said Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink, during a press conference outside the White House.

“He says he wants peace in the Middle East. Will he side with the warmongers, or will he listen to the people of the United States?” she asked. “Will he hear the international community’s message that Netanyahu does not belong on the streets of Washington, D.C.? He belongs in The Hague.”

Activists highlighted Netanyahu’s past influence over Trump, citing Israel’s role in the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and the 2020 assassination of a top Iranian commander at Israel’s urging.

“This is a stain on America’s reputation that will last for generations,” said Nihad Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). “By hosting Netanyahu, Trump signals that more war may be on the horizon. He is making it harder for himself to earn the title of a ‘president of peace.’”

Rewarding Aggression

Osama Abuirshaid, executive director of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), criticized Netanyahu’s visit as an undeserved privilege.

“He’s being rewarded with increased military assistance, with the lifting of restrictions on the 2,000-pound bombs that have devastated Gaza,” Abuirshaid said. “He’s being rewarded for calls to ethnically cleanse Gaza. He’s being rewarded with hints at annexing 60 percent of the West Bank. We are no longer just talking about apartheid—we are witnessing a genocidal state.”

Abuirshaid added that Netanyahu “feared” Trump more than he feared his own far-right ministers, Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

“That’s good. We want America to be respected again, as Trump keeps saying,” he noted. “But to achieve that, the president must take a stand and stop offering bribes to a client state.”

A Historic Opportunity

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) echoed similar concerns in a statement, urging Trump to confront Netanyahu and arguing that former President Joe Biden’s administration “tanked” because he refused to push back against Israeli influence.

“Netanyahu has manipulated every modern U.S. president into acting against American interests,” NIAC stated. “He likes to boast, ‘I know America. America is a thing that can be moved easily.’”

The statement emphasized that Trump now has a rare and historic opportunity to shift U.S. policy. “If he stands up to Netanyahu, he has a chance to stabilize the Middle East and accomplish what his predecessors failed to do: ending the forever wars that have trapped the U.S. and American troops in the region for a generation.”