President Trump (White House photo)
Last November Arab Americans helped Donald Trump defeat Kamala Harris in Dearborn, 42-36 percent. Now, reports are that some have buyer's remorse in light of Trump's Gaza remarks.
To no surprise, the Dearborn-based Arab American News blasts Trump in an editorial Friday titled "Trump’s reckless U.S. occupation plan for Gaza is outrageous and unlawful."
Here's part of the editorial:
In a press conference at the White House on Tuesday, attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump announced a controversial plan that includes U.S. control over the Gaza Strip and the resettlement of its Palestinian residents in Egypt, Jordan and/or other countries. Trump described Gaza as a “demolition site” and promised to transform it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” after its reconstruction. He also mentioned the possibility of deploying U.S. forces to occupy it if necessary.
As Arab American communities, we express our deep concern regarding Trump’s reckless and illegal plan to deport Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and impose American control over the territory. These statements represent a blatant violation of international legitimacy and U.S. laws, which recognize Gaza as a Palestinian land. Moreover, they deliberately ignore the historical and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and reflect clear support for Israel’s long-standing policies of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing, which have persisted for more than seven decades.
Any attempt to impose forced displacement on Palestinians constitutes a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The international community and the American people cannot remain silent in the face of these schemes that threaten security and stability in the region. The only just and acceptable solution to the Gaza issue is to end the Israeli occupation, ensure the Palestinians’ right to self-determination and help them regain their normal lives and properties destroyed by Israeli forces with full American support — rather than enforcing coercive solutions that serve the interests of the brutal occupation at the expense of Palestinian rights.
