The Vermont Senator accused Netanyahu’s government of waging a “total war against the Palestinian people” but defended Israel’s right to respond to Hamas’ “attack”.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders slammed on Monday the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu for waging an all-out war on the Palestinian people since the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7.
The independent senator, however, reiterated his sympathy with the Israelis who experienced the events of October 7 and the captives in Gaza saying it is “difficult to comprehend the heartbreak,” Anadolu news agency reported.
“Nobody should forgive or forget those atrocities, which began this war,” he was quoted as saying by Anadolu.
Sanders stressed that although Israel had the right to respond to “Hamas’ attack”, Netanyahu’s “extremist” coalition government “has not simply waged war against Hamas.”
‘A War Criminal’ – Sanders Slams US Congress Invitation to Netanyahu
“It has waged total war against the Palestinian people. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 96,000 wounded, sixty percent of whom are women, children, or elderly people,” the Vermont senator said.
“The Netanyahu government has destroyed much of the housing stock of Gaza, the civilian infrastructure, and the health care system. Every one of the 12 universities in Gaza have been bombed, and there are virtually no educational opportunities available for the many children there. Desperate families, with few belongings, have been displaced time and time again,” Sanders added, as quoted by Anadolu.
Sanders went on to accuse the Israeli prime minister of repeatedly sabotaging diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire.
“Every time an agreement has appeared close, he has introduced new demands, sinking the deal and leaving the hostages and Palestinian civilians to continue their suffering,” he stressed.
One year into the genocide in Gaza, Sanders demanded an immediate ceasefire to end the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians.
‘War Criminal’
On June 1, Sanders said it is a sad day for the country that Netanyahu has been invited to address a joint session of Congress, calling him a “war criminal.”
“It is a very sad day for our country that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited – by leaders from both parties – to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress,” Sanders said in a statement.
‘War Criminal’ – Protesters Demand Arrest of Netanyahu During US Visit
“Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. He should not be invited to address a joint meeting of Congress. I certainly will not attend,” Sanders stressed.
His remarks came a day after the leaders of the US Senate and House of Representatives on Friday officially invited the Israeli leader to address a joint session of the bicameral Congress.
Sanders Faces Backlash
Sanders, however, has been widely criticized by pro-Palestine activists for refraining from using the term “genocide” to refer to Israel’s onslaught on Gaza.
Last February, while he was in Ireland to promote his latest book, a protester interrupted the US senator while shouting: “It is a genocide.”
Another activist, a woman, yelled: “What’s your definition of genocide?” to which Sanders did not respond.
“Bernie, you have funded Zionism yourself,” a third activist shouted, adding: “You have funded the Israeli settler state. Here you are, pretending you aren’t.”
“It is disgusting. Liar liar, genocide denier!” the activist continued.
According to Irish media, Sanders “replied to say that it’s not helpful to disrupt meetings, insisting that ‘slogans are not solutions’.”
‘Word Genocide Makes Me Queasy’ – Sanders Slammed in Ireland for Gaza Stance (VIDEO)
However, the criticism did not only come from Irish students.
The Irish Star newspaper reported that Irish politician Richard Boyd Barrett has also slammed Sanders for his stance in the first weeks of the genocidal Israeli war, when he repeatedly refused to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“I respected Bernie Sanders until he refused to call for a ceasefire in Gaza for the first 2 months of #IsraeliGenocide and still refuses to call what Israel is doing a genocide,” the Irish politician said.
“Like our government, he legitimized the ‘self-defense’ propaganda which justified the Gaza slaughter,” Barrett continued.
In November, Sanders said during an interview with CNN that the ceasefire was not a viable option.
“I don’t know how you can have a ceasefire, (a) permanent ceasefire, with an organization like Hamas, which is dedicated to turmoil and chaos and destroying the state of Israel,” he said.
When Sanders made that statement, well over 9,000 Palestinians, including more than 4,000 children, had already been killed by Israel.
Gaza Genocide Continues
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 41,870 Palestinians have been killed, and 97,166 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(PC, Anadolu)
Be the first to comment