LONDON: The American Israel Public Affairs Committee condemned senior New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman on Wednesday following Friedman’s encouragement of Michigan Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed to “be true to your pro-Palestinian, Arab American roots and stick it to” the pro-Israel lobby.
In a series of posts on X, AIPAC said Friedman’s column “continues a concerning trend by the ‘paper of record’ to print and amplify lies” about the organization.
The dispute followed the publication of Friedman’s column on El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic primary in early August, in which the Egyptian-American physician and former public health official defeated four-term US Representative Haley Stevens by roughly one percentage point.
He won despite being dramatically outspent in what his campaign described as the most expensive Democratic primary in US history.
AIPAC and affiliated groups poured more than $30 million into supporting Stevens, while El-Sayed’s campaign put the total at more than $75 million, including money from AIPAC-linked, and other “dark money,” groups.
AIPAC President Michael Tuchin during an address at the AIPAC Policy Summit in Washington, DC, on June 5, 2023. (AFP/File)
In his column, Friedman accused AIPAC of being “drunk on its own power” and said it had chosen to put the “interests and values” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of those of the US.
“AIPAC lost its way years ago when it had a choice regarding how to be pro-Israel — to put American interests and values first or Netanyahu’s interests and values first. AIPAC chose to be pro-Netanyahu,” the Jewish-American commentator, and longtime supporter of the lobby J Street, wrote.
“When Netanyahu walked away from the two-state solution, AIPAC went along for the ride. When Netanyahu abandoned Israel’s standard bipartisan approach to American politics, stiff-armed Democrats, and aligned Israel exclusively with Republicans and evangelical Christians, AIPAC went along for the ride,” Friedman added.
AIPAC responded shortly after, accusing the paper and its columnist of misrepresenting the group.
“AIPAC is an American organization working to build bipartisan support for the US-Israel partnership. We make our own decisions and are no one’s mouthpiece,” the statement read.
The group, which claims to have more than 6.5 million members nationwide, also objected to Friedman’s contention that while AIPAC says it supports a two-state solution, it has not criticized the Netanyahu government over settlement expansion.
“Mr. Friedman frequently focuses on the settlements — an issue that we’ve long said must be addressed in direct talks for a two-state agreement,” AIPAC wrote, saying Friedman has “dedicated considerable column space to blaming Israel for the stalled peace process” over the years.
This @nytimes piece continues a concerning trend by the “paper of record” to print and amplify lies about AIPAC and our 7 million American members.
We are an American organization committed to strengthening bipartisan support for the U.S.-Israel alliance.
— AIPAC (@AIPAC) August 12, 2026
The group said that, in his advice to El-Sayed, Friedman “falls victim to the candidate’s carefully crafted talking point” overlooking reporting in the NYT that El-Sayed “fundamentally opposes” the right of an independent Jewish state to exist.
El-Sayed, whose stance on Israel and Gaza was never a marginal talking point, and who made the lopsided spending central to his campaign, has been accused of promoting an antisemitic and anti-Israel agenda.
AIPAC cited a July report in the NYT describing El-Sayed as saying that “Israel should not exist as an explicitly Jewish state.” AIPAC charged: “To use his own words, Friedman chooses to ignore facts, and instead goes along for the ride.”
In his column, Friedman also called on El-Sayed — who campaigned with the controversial far-left streamer Hasan Piker — to adopt a more middle-ground approach to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, as opposed to other progressive Democratic figures, to court Jewish voters.
“It is not only El-Sayed, though, who needs to draw clear redlines. American Jews have let AIPAC drive them over a cliff,” he wrote.
The dispute comes amid broader tensions between pro-Israel groups and the NYT over Israel-related coverage, particularly relating to the Gaza war and allegations of Israeli misconduct.
In May, the paper faced backlash from Israeli officials and pro-Israel activists after publishing a column by Nicholas Kristof alleging sexual abuse of Palestinians by Israeli security personnel. The paper defended that column, calling it “deeply reported,” and said threats of legal action were aimed at undermining independent journalism.
