El-Sayed: ‘Israel is no friend of the US’

Democratic Senate candidate says Israel is ‘not our friend,’ accuses the Jewish state of dragging US into wars abroad.

By World Israel News Staff

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed declared that Israel is not a friend or genuine ally of the United States, accusing the Jewish state of exploiting American financial assistance and drawing Washington into unnecessary wars, just two weeks before a closely contested election that could determine control of the Senate.

Speaking in an interview with ABC News released Monday, El-Sayed was asked whether he considered Israel an American ally.

“An ally that takes your money to push you into wars you shouldn’t be fighting is not an ally,” he responded.

The far-left candidate, who is running against Republican former congressman Mike Rogers in the November 3 election, illustrated his argument by comparing Israel to someone who repeatedly borrows money from a friend’s children, disparages them and draws them into conflicts with others.

“If your kid has a friend who keeps bumming off their money, talks about them behind their back, and gets them into fights with other friends, what would you tell your kid? You’d probably tell them maybe it’s not actually your friend,” El-Sayed said.

“I think it’s time for us to realize that Israel is actually not our friend.”

The comments mark another escalation in El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel and the longstanding US-Israeli alliance, which has emerged as a major issue in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races.

During an October 8 debate in Grand Rapids, El-Sayed repeatedly declined to identify whether Israel or Iran represented the greater threat to the United States, arguing that both countries had endangered American interests in different ways.

He accused Israel of lobbying the Trump administration to launch military operations against Iran, blaming the conflict for rising energy prices and questioning whether American security had improved as a result.

El-Sayed also opposed providing US-funded military assistance to Israel, including defensive weapons in the event of an attack by another country.

“I don’t want our tax dollars buying weapons for other countries. I don’t know what’s so hard about that,” he said during the debate.

Rogers, a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, took the opposite position, expressing strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself and pledging to continue American security assistance.

The Republican nominee has made El-Sayed’s positions on Israel and Iran central to his campaign, portraying his opponent as dangerously radical and unsuitable to serve in the Senate.

The contest has also become a flashpoint for tensions among Michigan’s Jewish and Muslim communities, particularly following the war in Gaza and the subsequent US-Israeli military campaign against Iran.

El-Sayed, a former Detroit public health director who defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary, would become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate if victorious.

His candidacy has attracted considerable support from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Former President Barack Obama is scheduled to campaign alongside him in Detroit on October 24.

However, his criticism of Israel and association with controversial political figures have generated concern among many Jewish Democrats.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s affiliated political action committee, United Democracy Project, has also entered the contest against El-Sayed. The group spent nearly $30 million opposing him during the Democratic primary and disclosed another expenditure targeting him earlier this month.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind Rogers and castigated the Democratic candidate, accusing him of connections to the Muslim Brotherhood.

El-Sayed has rejected allegations of personal involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood, including claims arising from social media posts by his half-sister concerning their mother’s political activities in Egypt decades ago.

Recent polling has generally shown El-Sayed holding a narrow lead over Rogers, although the contest remains highly competitive.