Abdul El-Sayed under fire from Jewish Dems after refusing to call Israel a US ally

Abdul El-Sayed is facing fresh backlash over his stance on Israel after the Democratic Senate nominee clashed with Republican rival Mike Rogers during a heated debate — with some Jewish Democrats questioning whether they can support him, and experts saying his words could come back to haunt him.El-Sayed sparked controversy Thursday night when he said he does not consider Israel an ally if the country draws the US into wars it does not need to fight, sidestepping a direct comparison between Israel and Iran.“He, himself, has created this predicament and he now comes off as confused and inauthentic,” Jeff McCall, a professor at DePauw University, told The Post.He said that this debate shows that El-Sayed is “failing the rhetorical challenge.” “I don’t consider an ally a country that takes us to wars we don’t need to fight,” El-Sayed said during the debate in Grand Rapids, Michigan, hosted by NewsNation and Nexstar’s WOOD-TV.The exchange came as Rogers grilled El-Sayed over his lack of statement marking the third anniversary of Hamas’ Oct.7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel.El-Sayed insisted he had condemned the attack, but accused Rogers of turning other people’s pain into “political theater.” The comments have reignited questions about El-Sayed’s relationship with Jewish Democrats, some of whom have expressed reservations about backing the progressive candidate because of his views on Israel.The Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus has not formally endorsed El-Sayed, despite supporting other candidates in federal elections.The Post reached out to the group for comment but did not immediately receive a response.The debate drew further scrutiny after El-Sayed dismissed questions about his handling of the Oct.

7 anniversary following the event.A political science professor at Oakland University, David Dulio, told The Post that Thursday’s debate was so important because El-Sayed is “arguably more to the left” than other progressives — l...