The candidate who compared Israel to Hamas won the Democratic elections in Michigan

Abdul al-Sayed, the pro-Palestinian candidate from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party who compared Israel to Hamas, won the primary elections for the US Senate held yesterday (Tuesday) in the state of Michigan – a state with a relatively high proportion of Muslims. A-Syed won by a small margin at the end of a nerve-wracking drama over House of Representatives member Haley Stevens, who presented unequivocal support for Israel.

US President Donald Trump was quick to attack the choice: “This is good news for the Republicans, he is a communist loser who hates Israel and the Jews.”

In his response on his Truth account, the American president added on A-side: “He is the expected winner in his race with the socialists. As usual, the polls were very far apart on this issue. She was not expected to succeed nearly as well as she did. Now, the crazy policies of the Democrats will only get worse!”

 

It is not a question of who is worse – one or the other. Hamas is bad, the Israeli government is bad. You can say both

Abdul a-Sayed

A-Sayed tried to make Israel a very central part of the election campaign. A-Sayed, a doctor and the son of immigrants from Egypt, called Israel’s military campaign in Gaza “genocide”, described the Israeli government as “evil”, and repeatedly claimed that AIPAC’s influence was distorting politics in the Democratic Party. A-Sayed even said that Israel should not exist as a Jewish state, and pledged to change the attitude of the Democratic Party towards Jerusalem.

The candidate added and compared during the campaign between Israel and Hamas and said that “it is not a question of who is worse – one or the other. Hamas is bad, the Israeli government is bad. You can say both.”

A-Sayed’s victory comes in a swing state in the Midwest that is home to some of the largest Arab-American communities in the US. On the other hand, his losing opponent, Haley Stevens, benefited from the support of tens of millions of dollars from pro-Israel lobbies. Stevens made it clear throughout her tenure that she supports unconditional aid to Israel, rejects the claims of genocide in Gaza and refuses to apologize for receiving donations from AIPAC.

“I am in favor of the two-state solution, I want long-term peace, I criticized Netanyahu. My opponent, Abdul, does not recognize Israel’s right to exist in the country, he blamed Israel when a synagogue blew up in our district. It represents the extremism,” Stevens said in an interview with CBS. She previously said at a Hanukkah event that “Israel comes to me in my dreams,” and emphasized that she will not change her positions according to “fashion or what is politically convenient.”

A-Said will now move on to run in the November general election against the Republican nominee, former House member Mike Rogers, in a key battle that could determine the identity of the Senate majority.