Trump has appointed Sebastian Gorka, who said that there was ‘no such thing as Palestine’ and made anti-Islam statements, as head of counterterrorism.
US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday named Lebanese-American businessman Massad Boulos as his senior advisor on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, the latest family member to be appointed to a key position.
“I am proud to announce that Massad Boulos will serve as Senior Advisor to the President on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs,” Trump posted on Truth Social of the appointment, which puts his daughter Tiffany’s father-in-law in a major White House position.
Boulos was a key emissary for the Trump campaign, helping to mobilise Arab American and Muslim voters, many of whom were disaffected with White House policy on Israel’s war on Gaza.
Soon after Trump’s election, he told Lebanese TV channel LBCI that his first official foreign trip would be to Lebanon.
“The Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains to be the key issue in the region, and in the next few weeks you will see some developments on that front,” he told the outlet, highlighting that a “final solution” on the issue was needed to end the cycle of war.
“The final solution has to be a just one [to the Palestinians],” he said, highlighting that Trump would continue to push for normalisation in the region as the “only way forward for peace”.
On his pick for the Middle East advisor job, Trump said: “Massad is an accomplished lawyer and a highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the International scene.”
“He has been a longtime proponent of Republican and Conservative values, an asset to my Campaign, and was instrumental in building tremendous new coalitions with the Arab American Community.”
The Republican referred to Boulos as “a dealmaker.”
Trump often promised on the campaign trail to bring a swift end to the wars in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere, without specifying how he would do so.
