The Japan Times - 'Red line': Arab-Americans oppose Trump's Gaza takeover plan

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.

- Trump's promises -

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 organize 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.

"The president wants to see peace in the Middle East that satisfies all parties," he told AFP, insisting Trump was speaking "hypothetically rather than realistically" about displacing Gazans.

Bahbah chairs the group formerly known as "Arab Americans for Trump," recently renamed "Arab Americans for Peace" -- a change he says reflects the post-election shift rather than any reaction to Trump's policies.

- Silence from mayors -

Trump also secured endorsements from Arab American mayors Bill Bazzi of Dearborn Heights and Amer Ghalib of Hamtramck, although neither responded to requests for comment.

Bazzi did speak to AFP on election night, celebrating Trump's win.

For local news publisher Osama Siblani, 70, their silence may stem from embarrassment.

"They have nothing to say, but they have to answer to their constituents," he said, noting that both mayors face re-election in 2025.

"Trump came here and he lied. He said, 'I'm going to spread peace and love in the region and in the world.' And as soon as he got in, he wants to take Canada, he wants to take Greenland, he wants to take Panama, he wants to take Gaza."

Still, Siblani believes Democrats are to blame for their losses, pointing out that his newspaper, The Arab American News, endorsed neither candidate.

"We are not responsible for this outcome; our price was low," said comedian and lawyer Amer Zahr, 47, who voted for Stein.

Zahr argued that Harris could have secured Arab American support simply by signaling openness to an arms embargo on Israel.

Instead, Democrats' condemnation of Trump's proposals and newfound willingness to talk about "ethnic cleansing" only "validates" the community's choices by proving the party can be nudged in the right direction with the right incentives, he said.

Luqman, who leans strongly left on issues like the environment and abortion, acknowledged the difficult choice many faced.

"A lot of people held their nose and voted who did not want to vote Republican but did it anyway, and are now open to either party," she said.

H.Nakamura--JT