"Not even Iron Dome": Earthquake in the Democratic Party - and Israel is in the spotlight
Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed declares he will oppose all military aid to Israel - including funding for the "Iron Dome", accuses Israel of "genocide" and stirs up a storm in the US following his victory in Michigan.
The candidate for the Senate from the state of Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, clarified in an interview that he strongly opposes all military aid to Israel, including funding for the "Iron Dome" system. In an interview with CNN, where he was asked about his positions ahead of his possible entry into office, El-Sayed provided a series of sharp statements against American aid, while hurling harsh accusations regarding the way tax money is used.
When asked if he opposes all military funding for Israel, El-Sayed replied: "I oppose unconditional military aid to any country. That includes Israel, yes, but it is also Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE". He explained that his opposition stems from the economic situation of the residents of his state: "We have communities in my state where the median income is 14,000 dollars, and I believe they have a right to their tax money".
El-Sayed did not stop there, and addressed the issue of human rights while mentioning international law. In a blunt statement he declared: "I do not want to fund a foreign army that commits genocide, apartheid, or drags us into a war that we do not need to manage". Alongside this, he claimed that he believes in equal rights, peace and self-determination "for Jewish Israelis and Palestinians alike".
Interviewer Kaitlan Collins pressed El-Sayed and asked whether, despite his positions, he would support funding for clearly defensive systems like the "Iron Dome". The candidate's answer was firm: "I don't believe there is really a difference between offensive or defensive weapons". He continued and compared the security situation in the Middle East to the state of the education system in the US: "I don't believe it is my responsibility to buy defensive weapons for a foreign government, when our children are defenseless against schools that have been suffering from underfunding for a very long time".
El-Sayed's statements align well with a scathing editorial published in the "Wall Street Journal", which analyzed his narrow victory in the Democratic Party primaries in Michigan. El-Sayed, a 41-year-old public health official, defeated Congresswoman Haley Stevens by a margin of only one percent. According to the editorial, his victory is evidence of the growing radicalization in the ranks of the Democratic Party, as figures like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praise him as the next great progressive hope.
The "Wall Street Journal" devotes special attention to El-Sayed's hostility towards Israel, and notes his demand to completely stop American military aid to the country, and his accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The editorial reveals that after Israel eliminated Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, this year in an airstrike, El-Sayed was recorded saying that he would choose to remain silent regarding the event because "there are many people in Dearborn who are sad today". The newspaper emphasizes that Dearborn is a center of anti-Israel sentiment and sympathy for Hamas in Michigan. In addition, El-Sayed ran a joint campaign with Hasan Piker, a controversial figure who previously declared that the United States "deserved 9/11".
Alongside foreign policy, El-Sayed's agenda includes support for government-run health insurance for all, a wealth tax, and the abolition of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The newspaper's editorial warns that the election of such a left-wing candidate could cost the Democrats the loss of the majority in the Senate, especially in a key swing state like Michigan, where he will face a strong Republican candidate in the form of former FBI agent Mike Rogers. However, it seems that El-Sayed is already planning the conquest of the party from within.
According to a leaked recording cited in the "Wall Street Journal", El-Sayed set himself a future goal to bring about the defeat in 2028 of the pro-Israel Democratic Senator from Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, and explained to his supporters: "Put one giant on a spit, and then everyone else will understand the message". The article concludes with a stinging question as to whether the residents of Michigan really want to make American politics so polarized and left-wing.
