Dr. Bishara Bahbah holds a PhD from Harvard University, where he served as the associate director of its Middle East program in the 1990s.
Dr. Bahbah worked in academia, the philanthropic world, and business as CEO of one of the Estée Lauder companies and, most recently, as senior vice president at UBS Wealth Management.
In 2024, Bahbah chaired Arab Americans for Trump. In 2025, the name was changed to Arab Americans for Peace.
Working with Steve Witkoff in 2025, he negotiated the release of the US-Israeli soldier, Edan Alexander, from Hamas captivity. Subsequently, he was asked by the White House to help mediate between Hamas and Israel over the ceasefire in Gaza.