A pro-Trump group is changing its name after President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. ‘take over’ Gaza. The group formerly known as Arab Americans for Trump, is now going by the name Arab Americans for Peace.
‘We believe that his ideas, as well-intentioned as they might be, rubbed a lot of people the wrong way,’ Bishara Bahbah, the founder of the organization formerly known as Arab Americans for Trump, told Reuters. ‘We’re opposed to any transfer of Palestinians, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, out of their homeland.’
On Tuesday, during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump introduced the idea of the U.S. taking control of the Gaza Strip.
‘The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,’ Trump said during Tuesday evening’s joint press conference. ‘We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.’
The president emphasized the need to ‘do something different’ in Gaza, where Hamas and Israel have fought for nearly 16 months.
‘If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years,’ Trump warned during the press conference.
Trump’s plan to build ‘an economic development’ in the war-torn Gaza Strip has been met with mixed reactions. The group now known as Arab Americans for Peace is far from alone in its rejection of the idea. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., slammed Trump’s proposal, saying that it did not put ‘America first.’
Hamas, whose Oct. 7 massacre kicked off the latest war with Israel, called Trump’s proposal a ‘recipe for creating chaos.’ The terror group that has controlled Gaza since 2006, one year after Israel gave up the strip of land and expelled its citizens from the area.
‘What President Trump stated about his intention to displace the residents of the Gaza Strip outside it and the United States’ control over the Strip by force is a crime against humanity,’ a senior Hamas official also told Fox News on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Netanyahu praised Trump’s idea during an appearance on ‘Hannity’ on Wednesday.
‘I think it will create a different future for everyone,’ Prime Minister Netanyahu told ‘Hannity.’
‘The actual idea of allowing for Gazans who want to leave, to leave. I mean, what’s wrong with that?’ Netanyahu asked. ‘They can leave. They can then come back. They can relocate and come back, but you have to rebuild Gaza. If you want to rebuild Gaza, you can’t have — this is the first good idea that I’ve heard.’
After nearly 16 months of war, Hamas and Israel are engaging in a ceasefire deal, which has already seen the release of several hostages, including an American citizen. In the first phase of the deal, 33 hostages are set to be released. Details of the second phase have not been made public.
Israel’s war against Hamas became a divisive issue within Democratic circles ahead of the 2024 election. The ‘uncommitted’ movement in Michigan encouraged protest votes against former President Joe Biden when he was running for a second term.
After Biden ended his reelection bid and former Vice President Kamala Harris took his place, the group Abandon Harris – which started as Abandon Biden – endorsed Jill Stein and urged Americans to vote against pro-Israel candidates. There were also several anti-Israel protests during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The organization then-known as Arab Americans for Trump played a large role in Trump’s campaign outreach to the Arab American community in 2024. Many believe the group played an instrumental role in Trump’s ability to break Republicans’ losing streak in Dearborn, Michigan, which has a large Arab-American population.
Trey Yingst contributed to this report.