El-Sayed: 'The money we use to subsidize apartheid should be invested here'
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate criticizes US military aid to Israel on Jon Stewart’s podcast, saying the money should support schools and other domestic needs
Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, criticized American military aid to Israel during an appearance Thursday on The Weekly Show, arguing that the money should be spent on domestic priorities.
“The money we use to subsidize apartheid should be invested here,” El-Sayed said, referring to the West Bank.
He argued that American taxpayers should not fund a foreign military at the expense of schools and other needs at home.
“The point I keep trying to make is that I don’t want my tax money to fund a foreign army, when it could be used to fund schools for children,” he said.
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Responding to criticism of his focus on the issue, El-Sayed added: “There are people who say, ‘Well, Abdul cares more about the West Bank.’ No, I don’t. This is our money. It should be invested here.”
El-Sayed said his position extends beyond Israel, explaining that he opposes unconditional US military assistance to foreign governments, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Jordan.
He also defended his support for the “uncommitted” protest vote in the Democratic presidential primary, describing it as an effort to challenge then-President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza, which El-Sayed characterized as genocide.
El-Sayed said participants took inspiration from political tactics used by Black communities during the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. For some voters, he added, the war affected relatives directly.
“I wanted to send a message to my party,” he said.