Democratic Senate Candidate Questions Israel's Alliance With US

By N12

Translated & summarized from N12 by baba

CenterNeutral tone

Hebrew · 4 newsrooms covering

Abdul el-Sayed, a Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, declared in an ABC News interview that Israel is not an ally of the United States, comparing their relationship to a "toxic friendship." He asserted that an ally taking U.S. funds to involve the country in unnecessary wars is not a true ally. El-Sayed previously faced criticism for remarks made after a synagogue attack, for which he later apologized.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Democratic Senate candidate Abdul el-Sayed stated Israel is not an ally of the U.S.
El-Sayed described the U.S.-Israel relationship as a "toxic friendship."
He argued an ally using U.S. money for wars is not a true ally.
El-Sayed previously apologized for controversial remarks after a synagogue attack.
The candidate is running for the Senate in Michigan.

Democratic Senate Candidate Questions Israel's Alliance With US — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Abdul el-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for the Senate in Michigan, stated in an interview with ABC News that Israel is not an ally of the United States. Responding to a question about his stance on Israel, el-Sayed described the relationship as akin to a "toxic friendship." He argued that an ally "who takes your money to push you into wars you shouldn't be fighting is not an ally."

El-Sayed elaborated on his analogy by asking the interviewer if she had children. He then posed a hypothetical scenario: if a child's friend constantly exploited them, took their money, spoke ill of them, and entangled them in conflicts with other friends, what advice would she give her child? El-Sayed suggested the answer would be that the person might not be a true friend, concluding, "I think it's time we understood that Israel is not actually our friend."

This is not the first time el-Sayed has drawn controversy. In March, he caused a stir within the Jewish community following remarks about an attack on the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, near Detroit. While he stated that "there is never justification for attacking innocent people," he also commented that "violence is a cycle" and "hurt people hurt people." Several months later, he apologized to Jewish members of the Democratic Party in the state for these statements.

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