Abdul El-Sayed on Being Targeted by AIPAC

Abdul El-Sayed on Being Targeted by AIPAC

From The Beinart Notebook by Peter Beinart

May 17, 2026 · 12 min

About this episode

Abdul El-Sayed discusses his Senate campaign and the controversies surrounding his views on Israel and antisemitism.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit peterbeinart.substack.com Our guest is Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate for Senate in Michigan, whose Democratic primary has become the most hotly contested in the nation. El-Sayed has been attacked for saying that both Israel and Hamas have acted in evil ways, for campaigning with Hasan Piker and for calling Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal. He recently declared that “AIPAC and Israel are not the same as Judaism and the Jewish people” and that “The most dangerous thing they’ve tried to do is extend the definition of antisemitism to include a foreign government.” (If El-Sayed’s opponents want to do an interview as well, they’re welcome to be in touch). This conversation was co-sponsored by Jewish Currents . Topics include… Polarization may not be as bad as we think Sanctions against Israel Money in politics and fundraising ethically El-Sayed’s relationship with Jews and Judaism Problematic allies like Tucker Carlson Using the term “genocide” Running in America as a Muslim How to deal with the Supreme Court

People in this episode

Host: Peter Beinart

Guest: Abdul El-Sayed

Topics covered

  • Polarization
  • Sanctions against Israel
  • Money in politics
  • Ethical fundraising
  • Muslim identity in politics
  • Supreme Court issues

Keywords

  • AIPAC
  • Israel
  • Hamas
  • antisemitism
  • politics
  • Senate campaign
  • Muslim
  • genocide
  • fundraising

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: AIPAC

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