Muslim and Jewish advocacy groups in the United States on Wednesday criticized President Donald Trump for calling Senator Chuck Schumer a Palestinian, a term the group said was used in a derogatory sense.
During a meeting with Prime Minister Michael Martin in the Oval Office, Trump, a Republican, was asked by White House reporters about corporate tax regulations in the United States. In response, Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of support from Democrats in Congress for his initiatives.
“Schumer is a Palestinian, as far as I can see. He became a Palestinian. He used to be a Jew. He's not a Jew anymore. He's a Palestinian,” Trump said.
Schumer is the highest-ranking elected official of Jewish descent in the United States and has no Palestinian roots.
“President Trump's use of the word 'Palestinian' as a racial slur is degrading and unworthy of his office,” said Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Awad, who is of Palestinian descent, added that Trump's comments reflected the “ongoing dehumanization” of Palestinians.
Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council on Public Affairs, also condemned Trump's words, as did Hali Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America.
Trump was criticized by human rights groups during last year's election campaign when he called former President Joe Biden a Palestinian during a presidential debate. He also said last year that Jews who did not vote for him should have their “heads examined.”
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Trump has previously denied allegations of discrimination. The White House and Schumer had no immediate comment.
Human rights activists have highlighted the rise in Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian bias and anti-Semitism since the start of the conflict between Israel and Gaza.
Trump has recently come under fire for his plan for the United States to take over Gaza and expel Palestinians from the region. Human rights groups, Arab states, Palestinians and the United Nations have described his plan as a proposal for ethnic cleansing.
The Trump administration is also seeking to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student who played a prominent role in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in New York.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
