CNN Anchor Asks Abdul El-Sayed Three Times If ‘Israel Has a Right to Exist’
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“You're not going to play the gotcha, but you're not going to say you think Israel has a right to exist?” Hunt pressed a third time. The post CNN Anchor Asks Abdul El-Sayed Three Times If ‘Israel Has a Right to Exist’ first appeared on Mediaite.
CNN anchor Kasie Hunt asked progressive Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Thursday if he believes “Israel has a right to exist”, repeating the question multiple times as the Democrat refused to answer.
Hunt asked El-Sayed to begin the discussion, “Obviously, AIPAC is a big part of this conversation because Israel has become a very central topic, especially inside the Democratic Party, but nationally as well. Do you believe Israel has a right to exist?”
El-Sayed, who is leading his race in many polls, replied, “So, Kasie, AIPAC has become a big issue in this election because AIPAC has already spent $30 million in this election, they’re by far the biggest spender in the race. Now, the question about a right to exist is interesting, because nobody’s ever asked me whether I believe Palestine has a right to exist. Every single president who’s served has said they believe in a two-state solution. Israel exists. The question is whether we want a politics where our money is sent over to Israel to fund genocide and apartheid instead of investing in our own kids.”
Hunt jumped in, “You say it exists, but does it have a right to?”
El-Sayed added, “I didn’t say that, I just said the question of Israel’s existence is not a question. I’m not going to play this gotcha game about whether or not it has a right to exist. The question, ultimately, is about whether we want a politics that dignifies equal rights.”
“You’re not going to play the gotcha, but you’re not going to say you think Israel has a right to exist?” Hunt pressed a third time.
“Well, my question, you know, Kasie, I think the question we all ought to ask is: does everybody have equal rights to peace, dignity, and self-determination? That includes Jews, Israelis, and Palestinians,” El-Sayed replied, adding:
And to me, the people who should answer what ultimate peace looks like there should be Jews, Israelis, and Palestinians. I want my tax dollars spent here in Michigan, to provide schools in Michigan, to build healthcare in Michigan, to invest in Michigan, rather than sent abroad to kill Palestinian people through genocide and apartheid. The question of whether Israel has a right to exist is actually quite secondary to whether it has a right to our tax dollars.
And people don’t ask that question in good faith. So if you want to ask me about the Palestinian right to exist, if you want to ask me what I want to do for kids in Michigan, I’m happy to answer those questions. But AIPAC and Israel have become questions that too many people have to answer, because our tax dollars keep getting spent over there rather than being spent here.
El-Sayed came under fire this week after he jabbed his primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), saying AIPAC should teach her how to string two coherent sentences together.
Watch the clip above via CNN.
The post CNN Anchor Asks Abdul El-Sayed Three Times If ‘Israel Has a Right to Exist’ first appeared on Mediaite.