Trump’s Middle East Team: A Shift Towards Far-Right Policies
As President-elect Donald J. Trump assembles his team for the Middle East, it seems that U.S. foreign policy is set to align even more closely with the hardline stance of Israel’s far-right government. This shift poses a challenge to the delicate balance Mr. Trump had initially struck with Muslim voters and could potentially lead to significant strains in the relationship between Israeli and American Jews.
The selection of key figures such as Senator Marco Rubio from Florida for the role of Secretary of State, Representative Elise Stefanik from New York as Ambassador to the United Nations, former Governor Mike Huckabee from Arkansas as Ambassador to Israel, and real estate developer Steven C. Witkoff as Special Envoy to the Middle East has sparked enthusiasm among Mr. Trump’s staunchly pro-Israel supporters. Matt Brooks, the executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, expressed his approval, labeling the nominees as a “true dream team for those who are committed to a strong, vibrant, and unshakable U.S.-Israel relationship.”
However, this foreign policy direction has alarmed liberal Jews and Arab Americans alike, particularly the Arab and Muslim voters who initially supported Mr. Trump as a reaction against the Biden administration’s backing of Israel during its recent conflict in Gaza. Some of Mr. Trump’s Muslim supporters, including Rabiul Chowdhury, a co-founder of Muslims for Trump, felt misled, believing that Richard Grenell, Mr. Trump’s former ambassador to Germany and acting intelligence chief, would be appointed as Secretary of State.
Samraa Luqman, an environmental justice advocate from Dearborn, Michigan, and a co-chair of the Abandon Harris campaign aimed at Arab American voters, expressed a mix of hope and discontent. She stated, “Anything is better than the current Biden administration officials who have led us into a downward spiral in the last year or so.” Nonetheless, she admitted, “I’m not thrilled about the appointments of war hawks and neo-cons, and I have been very vocal about my support for Ambassador Richard Grenell to become the next Secretary of State.”
Mr. Grenell, when approached for comment, did not respond.
In a similar vein, Layla Elabed, a founder of Uncommitted, a Palestinian rights organization that initially distanced itself from the Democrats, later declared that another Trump presidency would be worse than a Kamala Harris administration. She expressed her disappointment, likening the recent appointments to a bait-and-switch tactic, stating, “I’m not surprised by this turn of events.”
