AIPAC is a constant target this political season.
In the manner of a witch hunt, so-called progressives have conducted rabid anti-Israel venom, stigmatizing candidates supported by AIPAC, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee. These so-called progressives, many of whom refer to themselves as social democrats, are quick to protest they aren’t anti-Semitic.
Abdul El-Sayed, their candidate here in Michigan for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, insists it’s not anti-Semitic to criticize Israel. Perhaps not. But it is anti-Semitic to demonize Israel (and AIPAC).
Abdul El-Sayed, candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks before U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) takes the stage at Mumford High School on May 3, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan. Sanders is visiting the Midwest on his Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here tour. (Photo by Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
We hear the term “genocide” ascribed to Israel. “Genocide” is an effort to eliminate an entire group of people, something Israel is not doing (and has never done). Critics of the Jewish state would do well to remember that Israel was attacked by Hamas (funded by Iran) on Oct. 7, 2023. Rather than surrender, Hamas subjected its people to an unwinnable war. And the death toll is tragic.
For its own part, AIPAC lobbies and supports candidates sympathetic to Israel. This is legal and hardly scandalous. Lobbying and fundraising are employed by utility companies, organized labor, the auto industry, big oil and the list goes on. AIPAC is by no means inconsequential when it comes to lobbying and fundraising. But it’s also by no means unique.
Quite frankly, the anti-Israel crowd is made up of bullies. They spew poisonous rhetoric on social media, doing El-Sayed’s dirty work. They don’t seem to know that there is nothing progressive about hating the Jewish state. El-Sayed is fond of stressing there is a difference between Israel and the Jewish people. He even boasts an affection for the Jewish people and their religion. Doubtful many Jews are convinced, notwithstanding the aberrant number of Jews supporting El-Sayed.
Lest you doubt the level of vitriol employed by supporters of El-Sayed, you will find no temperance in their dialogue. To listen to them, one would think Israel is the source of all our problems. There is scarcely an issue raised in which these so-called progressives don’t target Israel and/or AIPAC. Their mentality is reminiscent of 1930s Germany.
Polls indicate that most of the electorate has adopted an unfavorable view of Israel. Once viewed as resilient, the Jewish state is now painted as Goliath (as opposed to David). Conor Cruise O’Brien, the late Irish scholar and diplomat, coined a profound maxim: Anti-Semitism is a light sleeper. It seems to have risen from its slumber and AIPAC is its scapegoat. It’s not hard to imagine El-Sayed supporters staging another Kristallnacht.
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) speaks at a National Breast Cancer Coalition rally outside the U.S. Capitol on May 6, 2025, in Washington, DC. Breast cancer survivors and advocates rallied to preserve research funding and protect Medicaid. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
This is no exaggeration. Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who is challenging El-Sayed for the Senate nomination, is a staunch Democrat whose anti-Trump credentials aren’t subject to dispute. She is branded by the El-Sayed campaign as a tool of Israel for the simple reason she believes the Jewish state is preferable to Hamas or Hezbollah. The rhetoric of these so-called progressives has reached a dangerous level.
Should Stevens win the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate (polls show her trailing), it’s a good bet El-Sayed supporters won’t accept the result. These so-called progressives seem less like Democrats and more like Jan. 6 participants. With Donald Trump on one side and Abdul El-Sayed on the other, these are scary times indeed.
John O’Neill of Allen Park writes a bi-weekly political column.
John O’Neill