El-Sayed Says Israel Is Not a U.S. Ally or Friend

Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said in an ABC News interview that he does not consider Israel an ally or friend of the United States, arguing that an ally should not use American money to draw the country into wars. Asked whether he viewed Israel as an American ally, El-Sayed replied that a country that takes U.S. money and pushes the United States into wars it should not fight is not an ally. He compared the relationship to a child’s friendship with someone who borrows money and gets the child into fights, then said the United States should recognize that Israel is not its friend. The remarks sharpened El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel’s government and its military conduct in Gaza. In comments to MS NOW the previous week, he accused the Israeli government of using the United States and described Israeli military actions as war crimes and genocide. He also questioned whether the United States should subsidize the government. Those are El-Sayed’s characterizations; the reports do not independently establish them as legal findings. The comments come as El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee, faces Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race. His position on Israel has...