Van Jones did not hold back. The CNN host and former advisor to President Barack Obama called Michigan Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed's position on Israel foreign policy insane during a recent podcast appearance, drawing a sharp line between what Jones considers defensible Democratic stances and what El-Sayed actually supports.
Jones made the comments in late August on the Ask Haviv Anything podcast, where he was discussing the fracture between Black and Jewish Americans in the Democratic coalition. He drew a clear distinction between positions he said he could understand and El-Sayed's specific stance.
"Look, some Democrats are going to say that we should condition military aid. That, you know, 'Israel's gone too far in Gaza and in the West Bank and in Lebanon. We're going to put some conditions on you.' I think that's a defensible position if you're a Democrat," Jones said. "That's not Abdul's position."
Jones went further, explaining exactly what he found objectionable. "Abdul's position is a total and complete arms embargo against the state of Israel, including defensive weapons. That's an insane position," he said. "That says, if Israel wants to pay for interceptors to stop a rocket coming from Iran or coming from Hezbollah or coming from Hamas, an interceptor, we should deny them the right to buy the interceptors to knock down rockets going at Israeli children, women, men, babies. That's an insane position."
Jones also invoked Obama directly, making the case that El-Sayed's stance puts him to the left of the former president in a way Jones found offensive. "Barack Obama was a part of creating that Iron Dome. Barack Obama was a part of creating those interceptors. Barack Obama thought that the Israeli people were in such a tough neighborhood, they needed to be able to knock down rockets," Jones said. "So you're telling me you're smarter than Barack Obama? You have better ideas about foreign policy than Barack Obama? And you want to de-plug and defund and take away Israel's — half the world's Jews' — ability to defend themselves? That's an insane position."
Jones did not stop at the policy critique. He said he found it alarming that others in the party were struggling to respond to positions like El-Sayed's. "The fact that people are having a hard time figuring out what to do about it, I find alarming," he said. "This is not acceptable."
El-Sayed, a vocal critic of Israel and former CNN commentator, has faced repeated political controversies over his stance toward the country. He has also drawn attention for his relationship with left-wing livestreamer Hasan Piker.
Democratic consultant Julian Epstein, who formerly served as chief counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, backed Jones up in comments to Fox News Digital. "Bless Van Jones' heart, I agree with him," Epstein said.
Jones framed his criticism not just as a policy disagreement but as a warning about a broader trend he described as dangerous within the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
