Calling Trump's Bluff: A Palestinian-American's Challenge

By: Mahmoud El-Yousseph   Source: iViews Dec 21, 2024 No Comments


My name is Mahmoud El-Youseph. I am a Palestinian American freelance writer and retired USAF veteran who has lived in the US for nearly half a century.

I promise to change my first name to "Mo" if President-elect Donald Trump can get Hamas to release their hostages without the release of 16,000 Palestinian hostages held by Israel, which include four American citizens, that Trump conveniently ignored to mention.

After making his direct threat to Hamas about the hostages this week, Trump confounded me even more when he said, "If you hate America and hate Israel, then we don't want you in our country. Hamas supporters will be gone."

This statement was aimed at Americans who protested and spoke out against the U.S.-Israeli genocide in Gaza. However, opposing genocide and advocating for Palestinian rights do not equate to supporting Hamas—a distinction Trump appears unable or unwilling to make.

Moreover, Trump’s threat to expel individuals from the United States reveals his misunderstanding of constitutional rights. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and U.S. citizenship—whether by birth or naturalization—protects against arbitrary deportation. Trump needs to read the U.S. Constitution before he speaks. "You cannot expel U.S. citizens!"

I call President-elect Trump's bluff. In addition to changing my name to Mo, as a kind gesture, I threw a sour cherry on top by voting for him in the next presidential election if he chooses to run, even though I never voted Republican.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a Palestinian freelancer for Islamicity.com and ColumbusFreePress.com. He can be reached at [email protected].

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