Following his recent primary victory, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed acknowledged that Hamas was responsible for war crimes while reiterating his accusations of genocide against the Israeli government.
During an appearance on the Jim Acosta Show, El-Sayed addressed his position directly and said, “I condemned Hamas on day one, right? I think they're wrong. I think they committed war crimes. That's not hard to say."
The progressive nominee then pivoted to Israel's military actions in Gaza, claiming, “I just don't know why it's also not hard to say that in response, the Israeli government also committed war crimes, including genocide."
Framing the conflict as a matter of domestic fiscal policy, El-Sayed questioned American foreign assistance allocations.
“The question for us is ultimately about where we use our tax dollars. That is the political question," he argued, continuing, “I think people like to get involved in this big, long question of what's good for Israel or how we ought to be engaged in a conflict. My point is that our job is not to give money to make the conflict worse. Our job is to use our money here. And I believe that it is up to a free Palestinian people and free Jewish Israeli people to decide what the ultimate peace ought to look like."
He further emphasized that domestic investments should take priority over overseas military financing.
“I just know that right now, our tax dollars are making it far worse. And I don't want our money that could be used to make education and opportunity better for our people to be used to make life worse for other people."
El-Sayed, a progressive figure, last week secured the Democratic nomination for Senate in Michigan by narrowly defeating moderate Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI). The contest served as a major focal point concerning the ideological direction of the Democratic Party.
Throughout his primary run, El-Sayed faced significant scrutiny over his foreign policy positions regarding Israel, including his remarks, after a terrorist attempted to blow up and shoot up a Jewish preschool at a synagogue in Michigan earlier this year, that "hurt people hurt people."
He placed opposition to US military assistance to Israel and sharp criticism of its operations in Gaza at the forefront of his platform, accusing Israel of committing genocide, calling for an end to unconditional foreign aid, and stating in an interview that the Israeli government is "as evil as Hamas."
Following the primary, US President Donald Trump last week launched a series of sharp verbal attacks directed at El-Sayed.
“When I watch Abdul, he’s full of s--t," Trump stated during a Wednesday event in Nevada, describing El-Sayed as a “man of hate" and alleging that he harbors hostility toward Jewish people.
“He's a communist. And the polls were wrong again last night when they thought it would be a landslide victory for a hater of Jews and a hater of Israel," Trump declared.
Elaborating on his accusations, Trump continued, “This guy hates Jews. Somebody said, ‘Oh, that's a little strong’. No, he hates Jews and he hates Israel…He's a man of hate. And now he's going around saying, ‘No, I love everybody.’ He doesn't love everybody. Put him in office. You're going to find out what he loves."
Trump further asserted that the primary victor “doesn't love Israel. He doesn't love Jewish people. He hates them. He hates them with a passion that burns in his heart."
Looking ahead to the November general election, Trump predicted that Republican nominee Mike Rogers, whom he described as a "great candidate", would win the Senate seat.
“Actually, we do better against the communists, according to every poll. The poll says we do better against the communists. So he won. And so I think I'm happy. I put out a statement: Congratulations to the Republican Party."