PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — Pro-Palestinian voters succeeded in punishing Democrats so gloriously for supporting Israel that Palestinians may soon be able to boast that they are from “the Riviera of the Middle East” in Gaza – even if they can never live there again.
They are not only punishing Democrats – in the most disgusting way – but also they tormented Palestinians they claim to help. Not to mention reasonable Americans who wonder what the future under President Trump will become. For those who voted for Trump or anyone but Kamala Harris, Trump found time to prepare for deporting Gazans despite a busy schedule that had him prosecuting prosecutors, dropping federal charges against New York City’s mayor, and firing nearly every federal worker on the planet.
Then our new president will build a tourist trap along the Gaza waterfront. Surely, he will take a cue from our experience with Native Americans by building gambling casinos that the Palestinians will run.
An outrage? Voters in Dearborn, Michigan, are responding “with extreme anger and disappointment with this president who lied to this community to steal some of their votes,” Osama Siblani, editor of Dearborn’s Arab American News, told CBS. He added that Trump is “acting like a leader of a gangster group.”
I confess to confusion upon learning of Siblani’s grand revelation. After Trump’s first four years as president and another four of him accusing President Biden of stealing the 2020 election, it was impossible not to notice that Trump lies and behaves like a crime boss. Arab Americans are only now discovering that? Or just the editor of the Arab American News?
Practically speaking, voters could only choose between Trump and Vice President Harris in the 2024 presidential election. They were the only candidates with a reasonable path to the White House. Votes for another candidate took away votes from either Trump or Harris.
Arab Americans and other advocates for the Palestinians were furious that Biden would not restrict arms sales to stop Israeli bombings of Gaza, which was how the Jewish state responded to Hamas’ savage invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Dearborn voters and other pro-Palestinian activists nationwide have legitimate concerns over the deaths of an estimated 44,000 Gazans during the Israeli attacks, as claimed by the Hamas-controlled health ministry. That raised questions as to whether the scale of Israel’s response was necessary. But Israel’s critics displayed little remorse for the 1,200 Israelis who were beheaded or burned to death on Oct. 7 and the 240 hostages seized by Hamas.
Many Americans voted for Harris because of her attention to housing, schools, gun safety, health care and a range of domestic issues, and some tried to convince pro-Arab activists that Trump and the Republican Party would be much worse for the Palestinians.
Many pro-Palestinian activists pledged to vote for anyone but Harris because of Biden’s role in Israel’s military response. Arab Americans interviewed by reporters in Dearborn and neighboring towns acknowledged not voting for Trump or Harris. Trump won the popular vote by three million votes, and Biden received four million votes more than Trump four years before. Where did the four million votes go?
“It was a vote against the Biden-Harris administration, because they could not stop the carnage from happening in Gaza,” Siblani told the media. “We did not endorse Trump. We did not endorse Harris. We actually recommended that our community not vote for the top of the ticket.”
Dearborn voters, nearly half of whom are Arab American, contributed their share: Trump won 42 percent of their votes; Harris received 36 percent; and Green Party candidate Jill Stein collected 18 percent.
Trump’s idea of appreciation arrived on Feb. 4 with his announcement that America will absorb Gaza into its orbit, which may soon encompass Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal. Just as two million displaced Gazans will move to “a location that’s going to make people happy.” The White House has rotated between saying if their departure would be temporary or permanent.
Then Trump will build that “Riviera” to be home to the “world’s people,” Palestinians included. “This could be so valuable, this could be so magnificent,” he proclaimed during a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He would not rule out sending troops – after the war ends. Interesting that he expects this war to conclude. No one in power has mentioned such a possibility. We cannot be optimistic this will happen.
Despite my support for Israel, I do not think Israel needs another Vegas or Atlantic City. Just talking about this is dangerous. Trump could easily incite Palestinians and their advocates in America to violence.
Residents in Dearborn and neighboring towns were muted in their comments. An unidentified leader in Dearborn said some Arab Americans “think we screwed up but we’re not going to admit it,” CBS reports. Two Arab mayors of towns near Dearborn, who both stumped for Trump, suddenly went silent.
College senior Sarah Chabaan of Dearborn, who voted for Trump, told CBS that she was “disappointed” with his Gaza plan but was skeptical “he would actually implement what he’s saying.” She said she regrets her vote “a little bit,” but noted, “Had I voted for Kamala, I think maybe the war might have still been going on. That’s the important situation.”
Does she assume the war is over? Events 6,000 miles from her home are so unpredictable and fast-moving that the war could resume in an instant.
Do these voters know what they are talking about? Ever?
Before the Nov. 5 election, they figured that both political parties have betrayed the Palestinians. How much worse could Trump be? Now they know.
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Bruce S. Ticker is a Philadelphia-based columnist.
There have been at least5 attempts to get a two state peace deal. The Palestinians have said no every time. those who support The PLA and Hamas have much to answer for. lets have new ideas.
Killing 50,000 Palestinians as Biden and Harris policies supported is far worse than Trump’s political rhetoric and wild ideas. I think Pro-Israel activists will find that Trump’s extremist views will actually force a divide between Israel and the Arab World.
Ray, Trump’s term is young. Give him time before he can antagonize you. Do you concur that Palestinians in Gaza should be relocated? What will happen if they defy the effort to move them out? Are you satisfied if Trump accepts annexation of the West Bank? What happens to them if they defy annexation? Israel offered Palestinians a two-state solution in 2000 and Arafat rejected it, then initiated a war; what was wrong with Israel’s proposal and what justified Arafat’s military response?
For the record, I do not understand what the current Israeli gov’t was trying to do. To clear the record, I thought the figure for Arab deaths was 44,000, not 50,000, and even that it is a matter of dispute. It would not surprise me, but I would not take Hamas’ word for it. Of course, one death is one too many.