Senator Bernie Sanders is having quite a moment. He is the only U.S. senator brave enough to explicitly call out Israel’s actions toward the Palestinian people as genocide. Tensions in Gaza are rising intensely and breaking point is near. Humanitarian implications casualty figures currently stand at a minimum of 65,000 Palestinians killed and 164,000 wounded from a population of 2.2 million. Sanders has been criticized for his prior unwillingness to even call it “genocide”. Now he seizes on inflammatory comments by Israeli officials as proof of underlying intent behind their military strategy.
In recent weeks, Sanders has ramped up his lobbying efforts. He is therefore demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and calling an end to all U.S. military aid to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government. Most notably, he didn’t shy away from the reality of civilian casualties. Despite Israel’s outrageous claims of accuracy, 83% of those killed in Gaza were civilians, according to an Israeli military database.
Previously, Sanders had led efforts in the Senate to block offensive weapons sales to Israel, garnering support from half of the Democratic party members. However, these efforts did not succeed. His equivocating position has roused the ire of thousands of activists and even supporters. They attack him for not calling Israel’s actions genocide until this point. In an address in Ireland earlier this year, he candidly expressed his unease at uttering the term “genocide.” He admitted it made him “queasy” when protesters chanted it.
This change in Sanders’ rhetoric came on the heels of a concerning string of statements from Israeli leaders. He pointed to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s dehumanizing statement, describing Palestinians as “human animals.” He underscored Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s firebrand zeal, vowing that “Gaza will be totally razed.”
Sanders said, “Today, in my view, the Israeli government is engaged in a genocidal attack on the Palestinian people.” He emphasized that the term genocide evokes historical memories of the Holocaust and warned of the broader implications if leaders are not held accountable for their actions.
“That word emerged from the Holocaust – the murder of 6 million Jews – one of the darkest chapters in human history. Make no mistake. If there is no accountability for Netanyahu and his fellow war criminals, other demagogues will do the same.” – Bernie Sanders
His official public statement on his Senate webpage was even headlined It Is Genocide, to make clear the firm ground he felt he was on. Sanders made a clear moral appeal and obvious sense of moral duty to the American people. He continued, “We, as Americans, must stop being complicit in the genocide and slaughter of the Palestinian people.”
Bernie Sanders’ declaration has gotten a very predictable response. It does signal the really important current political reality — an undeniable change in the U.S. political discourse around Israel-Palestine issues. Among those who echoed similar sentiments was Becca Balint, who asserted that “today, I believe the Israeli government is committing a genocide against the Palestinian people.”
Time to rethink the White House’s blank check for Israel and engagement in this war of attrition. It is under increasing duress from members of Congress and constituents to change its tune. This developing story illustrates an emerging rift in U.S. politics between populist isolationism, foreign policy realism, and humanitarian interests.