BUMBLING BERNIE: Sanders To Netanyahu: It Is Not Anti-Semitic To Criticize Your Government

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has expressed staunch opposition to the policies of the Israeli government, particularly in response to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s assertion that criticizing these policies amounts to antisemitism.

“No, Mr. Netanyahu. It is not antisemitic or pro-Hamas to point out that in a little over six months your extremist government has killed 34,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 77,000 – seventy percent of whom are women and children,” charged Sanders.

“It is not antisemitic to point out that your bombing has completely destroyed more than 221,000 housing units in Gaza, leaving more than one million people homeless – almost half the population. It is not antisemitic to note that your government has obliterated Gaza’s civilian infrastructure – electricity, water, and sewage,” he added.

“It is not antisemitic to realize that your government has annihilated Gaza’s health care system, knocking 26 hospitals out of service and killing more than 400 health care workers. It is not antisemitic to condemn your government’s destruction of all of Gaza’s 12 universities and 56 of its schools, with hundreds more damaged, leaving 625,000 students with no education,” Sanders stated.

Sanders states that antisemitism “is a vile and disgusting form of bigotry that has done unspeakable harm to many millions of people” but added, “Please, do not insult the intelligence of the American people by attempting to distract us from the immoral and illegal war policies of your extremist and racist government. Do not use antisemitism to deflect attention from the criminal indictment you are facing in the Israeli courts. It is not antisemitic to hold you accountable for your actions.”

Sanders has long advocated for the United States to reassess its aid to Israel, calling attention to what he views as discriminatory policies. He has previously characterized Israel’s government as “racist” and has criticized legislative measures that provide unconditional military assistance to Israel.

In a recent instance, Sanders condemned a US government appropriations bill that included provisions to freeze assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) while continuing military aid to Israel. Sanders argued that the Netanyahu government should not receive further financial support from American taxpayers “to continue its brutal war against the Palestinian people.”

Despite his increasingly critical stance on Israel’s actions in Gaza, Sanders has stopped short of explicitly calling for a permanent ceasefire, expressing concerns that such a move could lead to further violence from Hamas.

{Matzav.com}