Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud
It comes as little surprise that President Donald Trump's drastic plan to evacuate Gazans and take over the land is being met with harsh criticism among Arab Americans in Michigan and far beyond.
"Beyond crazy," Terry Ahwal, a longtime Palestinian American activist in Farmington Hills, tells the Detroit Free Press. "I am sad that my president wants to ethnically cleanse an indigenous population. ... It's not enough to destabilize and steal Palestinian land. It's not enough to maim the children in Palestine. Now we want to take over."
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud, who was highly critical of the Biden administration's support of Israel in Gaza, posted on X:
President Trump's proposal to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza and have the U.S. "take over" is yet another chapter in the ongoing genocide. Deploying U.S. troops and using taxpayer dollars to invade Gaza is morally indefensible. Our commitment to justice remains…
— Abdullah H. Hammoud (@AHammoudMI) February 5, 2025
On Wednesday, during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said:
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too...We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings."
Michigan U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who has also been vocal in her opposition to the U.S. policy in the Middle East, posted on X:
This president is openly calling for ethnic cleansing while sitting next to a genocidal war criminal. He’s perfectly fine cutting off working Americans from federal funds while the funding to the Israeli government continues flowing. https://t.co/Pw86wA8kOF
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) February 4, 2025
The Freep also reported that the American Federation of Ramallah Palestine, a national group based in Westland that is one of the oldest Palestinian American organizations in the country, issued a statement Wednesday that "President Trump’s suggestion to ethnically cleanse Gaza is not only unacceptable and criminal, but also morally bankrupt, contemptible, and repugnant."
Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who is Jewish, was also highly critical.
What the President is proposing is the forced, unlawful removal of Palestinians from their homes, and would require a dangerous new deployment of US troops. This is unserious, counterproductive, and will prolong a conflict that has already seen so much tragedy, including for so…
— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) February 5, 2025
