(TotalConservative.com) – Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders blamed Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, accusing Netanyahu of being an “extremist” and the Jewish state of “slaughter,” and the US government of complicity in war crimes.
The former presidential candidate from Vermont appeared on CBS News on Sunday, March 10, and told anchor Margaret Brennan of Face The Nation that the US is “complicit” in the mass slaughter of children in Gaza at the hands of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The two discussed the most recent attempts by President Joe Biden to broker some kind of peace deal and stop the conflict, which was sparked by a widespread attack by radical Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. That attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel, and a few hundred more were taken over the border by Hamas into Gaza as hostages. The resulting counteroffensive military operation launched by Israel to weed out Hamas and secure the hostages has resulted in over 30,000 dead Palestinians so far, triggering widespread calls for a cease-fire, especially among Biden’s Democratic constituents.
Sanders has been calling on the US government to cease sending military aid to the Jewish state. He also told Brennan that there will only be peace in the region when Netanyahu’s government is gone, describing the Israeli prime minister as an “extremist right-wing” leader. He said that pressuring Netanyahu isn’t going to work, though, and that “the bottom line” is that the US is sending billions of dollars to Israel, which is funding the IDF and the ongoing conflict. Sanders blasted the latest foreign aid package that plans to send “another $10 billion in unfettered military aid” to Israel.
Brennan asked the senator if he stood by his previously stated views “that a full cease-fire with Hamas” was “unrealistic,” noting that they are a terrorist organization that aims to “destroy Israel.”
Sanders replied that a cease-fire was needed right now so that humanitarian aid could make its way into Gaza. He also said that while Hamas is “dedicated” to the destruction of Israel, Netanyahu and his government are “dedicated to destroying Hamas.” Ultimately, he concluded that both groups should not be leading their respective peoples if peace is ever to be attained in the region.
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