These are excerpts from two statements by Senator Bernie Sanders, (Ind-VT) on why he opposed the bill authorizing additional funding for the Israeli war on Gaza. I strongly agree with Senator Sanders. Both Senator Sanders and I are Jews with roots in New York City. He grew up in Brooklyn. I grew up in the Bronx. We both oppose antisemitism and we both oppose Israeli actions in Gaza. We think charges of antisemitism have been used to deflect criticism of Israeli war crimes.
Sanders on Ending Unfettered Military Aid to Israel and Restoring UNRWA Funding
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/prepared-remarks-sanders-on-ending-unfettered-military-aid-to-israel-and-restoring-unrwa-funding/
I strongly support the humanitarian aid included in this bill, which will save many thousands of lives in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and many other places . . . I support the Iron Dome to protect Israeli civilians from missile attacks. But let me be very clear: I strongly support ending the provision which will give $8.9 billion in unfettered offensive military aid to the extremist Israeli government – a government led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is continuing his unprecedented assault against the Palestinian people. I also strongly oppose language in this legislation that would prohibit funding for UNRWA, the UN organization that is the backbone of the humanitarian relief operation in Gaza and the only organization that experts say has the capability to provide the humanitarian aid that is desperately needed there.
As U.S. taxpayers, do we want to be complicit in Netanyahu’s unprecedented and savage military campaign against the Palestinian people? Do we want to continue providing the weapons and the military aid that is causing this massive destruction? Do we want that war in Gaza to be not only Israel’s war, but America’s war? Netanyahu and his extremist government are clearly in violation of U.S. and international law and, because of that, should no longer receive U.S. military aid. International law requires that warring parties facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need. That’s international law. Israel has clearly not done that. Only in the last several weeks, after pressure from President Biden, has aid access begun to improve somewhat, though it is still grossly insufficient given the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe.
Maybe more importantly, U.S. law on this subject is extremely clear. There is no ambiguity. The Foreign Assistance Act says that no U.S. security assistance may be provided to any country that “prohibits or otherwise restricts, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of United States humanitarian assistance.” That is the law. Israel is clearly in violation of this law. For six months, it has severely limited the amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza. The result has been a catastrophic humanitarian disaster with hundreds of thousands of children facing malnutrition and starvation. Israel’s violation of this law is not in debate. It is a reality repeatedly confirmed, every day, by numerous humanitarian organizations. Israeli leaders themselves admit it.
Sanders Responds to Netanyahu’s Claim that Criticism of the Israeli Government’s Policies is Antisemitic
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-responds-to-netanyahus-claim-that-criticism-of-the-israeli-governments-policies-is-antisemitic/
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. 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. 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. 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.
Antisemitism is a vile and disgusting form of bigotry that has done unspeakable harm to many millions of people. But, 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.