Bernie Sanders Reiterates US Support For Israel’s Fight Against Hamas But It ‘Does Not Have the Right’ to Kill Innocent People in Gaza
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) made it very clear that the United States supports Israel’s fight against the terrorists of Hamas — however it “doesn’t have the right” to go after innocent civilians in Gaza.
Sanders took to Twitter/X to state his position as Israel’s fight ramps up on land, air, and sea. He stated that the US provides $3.8 billion in aid to Israel, and he stands by that support. However, he drew a line in the sand on how that money is used, saying it cannot go towards killing “thousands of innocent men, women, and children in Gaza”:
The U.S. provides $3.8 billion a year to Israel. The Biden administration and Congress must make it clear. Israel has the right to defend itself and destroy Hamas terrorism, but it does not have the right to use U.S. dollars to kill thousands of innocent men, women, and children…
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) October 30, 2023
Images of the destruction and casualties that are a result of Israeli strikes in Gaza have many calling for a ceasefire in the region, but US politicians in Congress and on behalf of President Joe Biden have resisted those calls, with NSC spokesperson John Kirby saying that would only benefit Hamas. Thousands of civilians have been killed in Gaza, many of them children.
According to CNN, the health ministry in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, released 6,474 names of people of all ages killed in Gaza since the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7. Some estimates put the actual number over 7,000 but could be even higher. Biden has said that he doesn’t trust the information coming out of Gaza’s health ministry nor does Kirby, who called the ministry a “front for Hamas.” However Kirby also did not dispute the number of those reported killed. The same CNN report states that both the United Nations and the World Health Organization are using the numbers provided by the ministry.
The high death toll in Gaza has caused sharp pushback by the left in the United States, notably on college campuses where anti-Semitic rhetoric (and threats) have increased since the October 7 attack. Biden himself has seemingly suffered in the polls, losing support from his more left-leaning constituency for his steadfast support of Israel since it was attacked by Hamas.
