Abdul El Sayed, a progressive Democratic Senate candidate from Michigan, told an audience that he “struggles” to answer questions about whether Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state.

My first reaction to people who question whether Israel has “a right to exist” is usually, “Go pound sand.” Israel is a nuclear power with one of the most advanced militaries, economies, and technological infrastructures in the world. And yet, for some reason, and it’s not difficult to guess what that reason is, people are constantly pondering whether a Jewish state should exist. They exist because they fought to exist.