Senator Bernie Sanders warned US President Joe Biden on Saturday that his support for Israel’s military operation in Gaza could affect his standing among young progressive voters during the election in November.
Speaking to The Guardian, Sanders implored Biden to detach himself from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I hope that he (Biden) understands that you can be pro-Israel without supporting Netanyahu and the horrific war he is waging against the Palestinian people,” charged Sanders.
The comments follow Sanders’ recent call on Congress to reject the $10.1 billion in unconditional military aid being considered for Israel, saying the funds would be used by the Israeli government “to continue its brutal war against the Palestinian people.”
Despite the fact that Sanders has become steadily more critical of Israel’s war in Gaza, he continues to resist calling for a permanent ceasefire, which he says would open the door to further Hamas attacks.
Sanders has been critical of Israel’s government in the past, referring to it as “racist” and suggesting there “should be strings attached” to the US military aid to Israel.
In 2019, Sanders caused an uproar when he told the J Street conference that the US should redirect its aid to Israel and give it to Gaza instead.
In November, Sanders acknowledged that Hamas started the war against Israel, but still called for US aid to Israel to be conditioned.