Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who has long been critical of the Israeli government, on Thursday released a statement in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that criticism of the Israeli government’s policies is antisemitic.
“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.
“It is not antisemitic to agree with virtually every humanitarian organization in saying that your government, in violation of American law, has unreasonably blocked humanitarian aid coming into Gaza, creating the conditions in which hundreds of thousands of children face malnutrition and famine.”
Sanders said 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 US to condition its aid to Israel. He has been critical of Israel’s government in the past, referring to it as “racist”.
Last month, the Vermont Senator criticized a US government appropriations bill which froze the US assistance to UNRWA and included US military aid to Israel, saying, “The Netanyahu government should not receive another penny from US taxpayers.”
Sanders previously called on Congress to reject the $10.1 billion in unconditional military aid being considered for Israel, saying the funds would be used by the Israeli government “to continue its brutal war against the Palestinian people.”
Despite the fact that Sanders has become steadily more critical of Israel’s war in Gaza, he continues to resist calling for a permanent ceasefire, which he says would open the door to further Hamas attacks.
