‘Red line’: Arab-Americans oppose Trump’s Gaza takeover plan

DEARBORN, United States: In America´s largest Arab enclave, where frustration with former president Joe Biden´s Gaza policy led many to back Donald Trump, anger is now growing over the president´s explosive proposal to take control of the Palestinian territory.

But Dearborn voters say their only viable option in 2024 was to punish Democrats, leveraging their influence as a minority community on their core issue.

“I do not regret my vote,” said Samra´a Luqman, a political activist in this Detroit suburb of 110,000, where most residents have Middle Eastern or North African heritage.

Previously a Democratic stronghold, Dearborn saw Trump win 42.5 percent of the vote in November, followed by Kamala Harris at 36.3 percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 18.3 percent.

Some Democratic critics claim the community helped deliver Michigan to Trump, despite his decisive 80,000-vote margin -- a gap too large to be attributed solely to shifts within the relatively small Arab and Muslim electorate. Moreover, Trump carried all seven swing states.

“We´ve seen the great march of return, emotions I can´t even describe,” said 42-year-old Luqman, describing the overwhelming joy of displaced Palestinians finally returning home despite the devastation. She credited Trump for making the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas possible.

Yet Luqman and other Trump voters insist they strongly oppose the Republican´s idea of displacing the nearly two million Gazans from their homeland and remain committed to holding both US political parties accountable in future elections.

“That´s not something we will stand for,” said Faye Nemer, 39, a prominent businesswoman who lost relatives in Israel´s recent attacks on Lebanon. “Palestine is a red line for the community.”

Nemer said the community met with high-level Democrats and Republicans before deciding whom to support.

Trump visited Dearborn, while Harris did not, touring the state instead with Liz Cheney, who many Americans consider a war hawk.

Nemer, who helped organise a lunch for Trump at a local restaurant, said he pledged support for peace and a two-state solution -- an assurance that swayed many voters. She remains “very optimistic” he will ultimately deliver.

Bishara Bahbah, a prominent Trump supporter celebrating in Dearborn on election night, is also confident in Trump´s broader vision for Middle East diplomacy.