In a statement posted Thursday, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said 'IPAC and Israel are not the same thing as the Jewish people. I love the Jewish people.' The remark comes after his primary victory, during which he refused to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state and compared the country to Hamas, according to Israeli media reports.
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed released a statement early Thursday distinguishing between the state of Israel, the pro-Israel advocacy group IPAC, and the Jewish people. 'IPAC and Israel are not the same thing as the Jewish people,' he said. 'I love the Jewish people.' The statement was posted on social media.
El-Sayed won the Democratic primary for Michigan's Senate seat earlier this week, with NBC projecting his victory on Wednesday. During the campaign, he was reported by Israeli media outlets including Israel Hayom and N12 to have refused to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, and to have compared the State of Israel to the Hamas terror organization. He also labeled it an apartheid state.
The new statement appears to be a clarification of his position regarding the Jewish people, though it does not address his previous stance on the State of Israel itself. The race in Michigan was closely watched as a bellwether for the Democratic Party's direction on Middle East policy, with El-Sayed representing the progressive wing.
2 developments
- StrongEl-Sayed directly appeals to Michigan Jewish voters after primary win, vows commitment to Jewish safety
- DevelopingEl-Sayed ally Hasan Piker calls Democratic critics 'Islamophobic pieces of sh*t' after Michigan primary
- DevelopingAbdul El-Sayed defeats pro-Israel incumbent Haley Stevens in Michigan Senate primary
- DevelopingTed Cruz comments on Abdul El-Sayed's Michigan Senate nomination
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