Sanders Changes Course, Says Israel Is Committing Genocide

"In a statement, Sanders began by saying that Israel had the right to defend itself in the wake of the attack on October 7th, 2023 by the terrorist organization Hamas that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of hundreds of hostages. But the senator said that over the course of the past two years, Israel has "waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people," resulting in actions that many international legal experts have categorized as a genocide."

"An independent United Nations commission found that Israel was committing a genocide against Palestinians in a report released Tuesday, and Sanders wrote that he agrees with their findings. "The intent is clear. The conclusion is inescapable: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza," he said. This marks a significant shift for Sanders, who initially refrained from using the term even as he criticized actions taken by the Israeli government and advocated for blocking the sale of arms and weaponry to the country."

Bernie Sanders declared that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and endorsed findings of an independent United Nations commission that reached the same conclusion. Sanders acknowledged Israel's right to defend itself after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people and captured hundreds of hostages. He said Israel has waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people, and more than 64,000 Palestinians have died since the war began. Sanders called for an end to U.S. arms sales to Israel and framed the choice as stopping American complicity in mass atrocities, genocide, or ethnic cleansing.

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