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Geopolitics · Middle East

Abdul El-Sayed says Israel is not a U.S. ally

Abdul El-Sayed said Israel is not an ally of the United States, rejecting the characterization of Israel as a U.S. ally.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 4 independent reports from 5 outlets · Article text read from 1 of 4 reportsHow it's made

View timeline · 7 entries
5 outlets2 regionsLatest reporting 4 min read
Coverage: MixedL 1 · C 1 · R 3
Updat3 graphic: United States
Updat3 graphic · Map data: Natural Earth Natural Earth (public domain)

What happened

Key facts

  • Abdul El-Sayed said Israel is not an ally of the United States.
  • El-Sayed rejected describing Israel as a U.S. ally.
  • The United States and Israel maintain military, intelligence, and diplomatic cooperation.
  • The U.S.-Israel relationship deepened after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, when the United States supplied Israel through an emergency airlift.
  • Debate in the United States over the partnership includes whether Israeli military action could widen a regional conflict or draw in U.S. forces.

The brief

Abdul El-Sayed, a Michigan Democratic Senate candidate, said Israel should not be considered an ally of the United States, arguing that it takes American financial assistance while drawing Washington into wars.

Israel National News reported the remarks and quoted him saying: “An ally that takes your money to push you into wars you shouldn't be fighting is not an ally.” The outlet’s account identifies the statement as having been made Monday.

El-Sayed illustrated his argument with a comparison to a child’s friend who repeatedly borrows money, speaks about the child behind their back and gets the child into conflicts with other friends. He asked what a parent would tell the child and said the parent might conclude that the person was not really a friend.

The comparison was part of his explanation for why he rejects describing Israel as a U.S. ally. Israel National News also reported that, in a recent interview with MS NOW, El-Sayed called Israeli military operations “bloodthirsty” and accused Israel’s leadership of committing genocide.

Those are El-Sayed’s characterizations and allegation; the account does not present them as an adjudicated finding. It says he had described Israel’s leadership as “as evil as Hamas” in an interview before the election.

The outlet’s account also includes El-Sayed’s description of violence as cyclical, quoting him as saying “violence is a cycle” and “hurt people hurt people.” Those remarks accompany his criticism of Israel’s leadership and military operations, but the account does not specify which events he meant by the cycle or identify a particular triggering incident.

The Times of Israel headline likewise says El-Sayed insisted Israel was “not an ally” and “not actually our friend.” The Jerusalem Post headline characterizes his comments as doubling down on an anti-Israel stance and quotes the “not our friend” formulation.

Democracy Now!’s headline reports a separate development involving the campaign: a CBS News correspondent apologized for a partisan post targeting El-Sayed. The headline does not state what the post said or when the apology occurred.

The reported dispute centers on how El-Sayed describes the U.S.-Israel relationship: he says Israel’s receipt of U.S. money alongside its role in drawing Washington into wars is incompatible with an ally relationship.

The available account gives his criticism and analogy, but does not provide a response from Israel, the U.S. government or other candidates in the Michigan Senate race.

Why it matters

  • El-Sayed’s criticism directly concerns U.S. financial assistance to Israel and whether that relationship qualifies as an alliance.
  • His accusation that Israel draws Washington into wars makes the U.S. role in military conflicts a central part of his stated argument.
  • El-Sayed’s description of Israeli military operations as “bloodthirsty” and his genocide allegation are serious claims about Israel’s leadership and military conduct.
  • Democracy Now!’s headline identifies a separate campaign-related development: a CBS News correspondent apologized for a partisan post targeting El-Sayed.

What to watch next

  • Whether El-Sayed elaborates on his claim that Israel draws Washington into wars.
  • Whether Israel or the U.S. government responds to El-Sayed’s comments.
  • Whether El-Sayed provides further detail about his genocide allegation or his description of Israeli military operations.
  • What the CBS News correspondent’s partisan post said and what prompted the apology reported by Democracy Now!.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
5 source articles · 5 unique outlets · 4 distinct reports
Outlet political mix: Mixed· 1 Left · 1 Center · 3 Right
Where the outlets are based: Middle East 60% · US/Canada 20% · Other 20%
Outlet political mix
Mixed
Left
Center
Right
1 outlet
1 outlet
3 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
5 unique outletsDominant coverage: Middle East
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

Updat3 does not yet have enough full reports to compare how outlets framed this story.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. The United States recognized the state of Israel on the day it declared independence.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. The United States began an emergency airlift of military supplies to Israel during the Arab-Israeli war.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. The United States and Israel signed a free-trade agreement.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. El-Sayed is a physician and public-health academic who previously served as Detroit’s health director and ran for Michigan governor in 2018.
    Background · from our historical context
  5. Hamas-led fighters attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. Iran launched missiles at Israel after Israeli operations in Lebanon and the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  7. The United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes across Iran.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

Abdul El-Sayed’s comments come against a long-running argument in the United States over the strategic value and limits of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Washington and Jerusalem maintain extensive military, intelligence, and diplomatic cooperation, but Americans have disagreed over whether that partnership advances U.S. interests in every circumstance, particularly when Israeli military action risks widening a regional conflict or drawing in U.S. forces. The modern security relationship deepened after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

Related developments1 story

Original sources

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