Some Arab Americans who voted for Trump say they are concerned about his choices for key positions

LANSING, Mich. (AP) Just a week after winning several of the nation's largest Arab-majority cities, President-elect Donald Trump has filled top administration posts with staunch supporters of Israel, including an ambassador to Israel who claimed that no such thing existed. as Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Trump's two advisers who led his outreach to Arab Americans have yet to secure positions within the administration.

The choices drew mixed reactions among Arab Americans and Muslims in Michigan, who went for Trump like the other six battleground states. Some pointed to Trump's long-standing support for Israel and said their vote against Vice President Kamala Harris did not necessarily mean his support. Others who have openly supported him say he will be the final policy maker and hope he keeps his promise to end conflicts in the Middle East.

READ MORE: Trump Ends Republican Losing Streak in Nation's Largest Arab-Majority City

Albert Abbas, a Lebanese-American executive whose brother owns the restaurant Trump visited in Dearborn, Michigan, during the final days of the campaign, stood alongside the former president during that visit and expressed his support.

Today, Abbas says it's too early to judge Trump and we all need to take a deep breath, step back and let him do the work he needs to do to achieve that peace.

I just want you to think about what the alternative was, Abbas said, referring to the current administration's handling of Israel's war in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon. He added: What did you expect from me or many members of the community?

Beyond promising peace in the Middle East, Trump has given few concrete details on how he plans to achieve it. His transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

Throughout the campaign, her surrogates often focused more on criticizing Harris than on the broad outlines of her agenda. And images of the conflict with tens of thousands killed collectively in Gaza and Lebanon have angered many in the Arab and Muslim communities over President Joe Biden and Harris' support for Israel.

Amin Hashmi, a Pakistani American from Michigan who voted for Trump, urged him to stick to his campaign pledges to bring peace.

I’m disappointed but not surprised,” said Hashmi, who urged Trump to keep the promise you made to people of Arab descent in Michigan.

Trump picks what pro-Israel conservatives call dream team

Concerned community members specifically pointed to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who was named Trump's ambassador to Israel. Huckabee has consistently rejected the idea of ​​a Palestinian state in territories conquered by Israel, has strongly supported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposed a two-state solution, saying that Palestinians do not really exist in referring to the descendants of the people who lived in these territories. Palestine before the creation of Israel.

While Huckabee has sparked the most concern among community members, other Trump Cabinet picks have come out strongly in favor of Israel as it targets Hamas following the militant group's Oct. 7 attack 2023, during which he killed 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds more hostage.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, nominated for secretary of state, has opposed a ceasefire in the war, saying he wants Israel to destroy every element of Hamas it can get its hands on.

New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, chosen by Trump to be his ambassador to the United Nations, led the questioning of college presidents about anti-Semitism on campus. She also opposed funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which oversees aid to Gaza.

National Guard veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth was chosen by Trump to lead the Department of Defense. Hegseth publicly opposed the two-state solution and advocated for the reconstruction of a biblical Jewish temple on the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites.

The Republican Jewish Coalition, which organized for Trump in Michigan, has made clear its support for many of Trump's Cabinet picks. Sam Markstein, the group's political director, described the proposed lineup as a pro-Israel dream team, adding that people are stunned by the choices. He praised Trump's pro-Israel record as second to none.

The days of trying to find support on both sides of this issue are over,” Markstein said. “The way to secure the region is peace through force, which means there is no daylight between Israel and the United States.

No role yet for key figures in Trump's Arab-American campaign

One reason some Arab American voters supported Trump was because they believed his prominent supporters would play a key role in the next administration.

Massad Boulos, a Lebanese businessman and father-in-law of Trump's daughter Tiffany, has led efforts to engage the Arab-American community, holding dozens of meetings throughout Michigan and other areas in large Arab population. Some sessions also featured Richard Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence, who was well-liked by those who met him.

Neither Boulos nor Grenell have yet been considered for the next administration, although Grenell was once considered a potential secretary of state before Rubio's selection. Boulos declined to comment and Grenell did not respond to a request for comment.

Some people expected Trump to be different and thought Massad would play an important role, said Osama Siblani, publisher of the Dearborn-based Arab American News, who has declined to endorse a candidate in the presidential race.

Siblani himself declined an offer to meet with Trump after the non-endorsement announcement.

But now people come to us and say, 'Look what you did,'” Siblani said. We had a choice between someone who would actively shoot and kill you and someone who would threaten to do so. We had to punish the person who was shooting and killing us at that time.

Associated Press writers Mike Householder in Detroit and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

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