On Tuesday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) blamed Jews for the conflict between Israel and Hamas, tweeting, “I am extremely concerned by the growing conflict in Israel and Palestine. Once again we are seeing how the irresponsible actions of government-allied right-wing extremists in Jerusalem can escalate quickly into devastating war.”
I am extremely concerned by the growing conflict in Israel and Palestine. Once again we are seeing how the irresponsible actions of government-allied right-wing extremists in Jerusalem can escalate quickly into devastating war.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) May 11, 2021
“Israeli children should not have to spend the night scared in bomb shelters, as many are doing tonight,” Sanders continued, then snapped that the conflict stemmed from Israel’s “provocative and illegal settlement activity” adding venomously of Israel’s supposed “constant violence and oppression of occupation” as he wrote, “Palestinian children should not have to grow up under the constant violence and oppression of occupation, as so many do, and have done. The United States must call for an immediate cease-fire and an end to provocative and illegal settlement activity. And we must also recommit to working with Israelis and Palestinians to finally end this conflict.”
The United States must call for an immediate cease-fire and an end to provocative and illegal settlement activity. And we must also recommit to working with Israelis and Palestinians to finally end this conflict.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) May 11, 2021
This is the same man who routinely takes sides against the one Jewish state in the world; this is the same man who has Jew-haters like Linda Sarsour stand by his side; this is the same man whose only connection to Judaism is an accident of birth and nothing to do with Jewish religious belief.
Let’s take a look at how much Sanders cares about Jews:
In October 2019, speaking at the national conference of the notoriously anti-Israel J Street organization, and interviewed by former Obama officials Ben Rhodes and Tommy Vietor, both of whom supported the Iran nuclear deal that represented an existential threat to Israel, Sanders curried favor by suggesting that Israel did not respect human rights, snapping, “I would use the leverage of $3.8 billion. It is a lot of money, and we cannot give it carte blanche to the Israeli government, or for that matter to any government at all. We have a right to demand respect for human rights and democracy.” He threatened, “My solution is, to Israel, if you want military aid you’re going to have to fundamentally change your relationship to the people of Gaza. I would say that some of the $3.8 billion should go right now to humanitarian aid in Gaza.”
Mosaic Magazine noted:
When Sanders wanted to win the Democratic nomination in 2016, he claimed that Israel had killed over 10,000 innocent Palestinians, launched indiscriminate attacks in the Gaza Strip, and shelled hospitals in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge in 2014. The senator not only inflated the numbers by several orders of magnitude, he even outdid the Hamas spokespersons in creating a false narrative that the IDF was intentionally attacking the civilian population.
Sanders and Sarsour: In September the Sanders campaign identified Sarsour as a “2020 Bernie surrogate.” As JTA noted in December 2019:
Nov. 29: Sarsour appears at the annual conference of American Muslims for Palestine, and says in a speech at the Chicago event that Zionists, not pro-Palestinian advocates, should be on the defensive. In particular, she calls out progressive Zionists, suggesting they have no place in the larger progressive movement.
Sarsour ranted:
Ask those who call themselves progressive Zionists to explain to you how they can be against the separation of children on the U.S.-Mexican border, how can they be against building a wall between us and Mexico, how can they be against agencies like ICE … but then you tell me “Oh, you can’t push me out of the movement because I’m also against white supremacy.” Ask them this, how can you be against white supremacy in America and the idea of being in a state based on race and class, but then you support a state like Israel that is based on supremacy, that is built on the idea that Jews are supreme to everyone else.
In 2012, Sarsour tweeted, “Nothing is creepier than Zionism.” In November 2017, appearing at a panel discussion about anti-Semitism, Sarsour spoke of the “Jewish media,” complaining that the “Jewish media” was singling her out along with anti-Semitic preacher Louis Farrakhan.
Vis-à-vis Jewish belief, Sanders has stated, “I am not actively involved with organized religion,” and “I am what I am. And what I believe in, and what my spirituality is about, is that we’re all in this together.”
Human Rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky fired back at Sanders for his tweet blaming Jews, “You disgusting Hamas shill. My family spent night in shelter. Hamas fired 1,000 rockets at Israel. You can’t even call them out, you blame us! Shame you. You’re a disgrace.”
You disgusting Hamas shill. My family spent night in shelter. Hamas fired 1,000 rockets at Israel. You can’t even call them out, you blame us! Shame you. You’re a disgrace.
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) May 11, 2021
Why did those right-winger Jews launch those missiles at themselves?? https://t.co/1CSsQKNZL5
— tsar becket adams (@BecketAdams) May 11, 2021
Is Bernie quoting a statement from Hamas? I honestly can't tell! https://t.co/9wnllEdzuV
— Nick Short (@PoliticalShort) May 11, 2021
It's amazing that these people can look at themselves in the mirror after spinning narratives like this https://t.co/QZesdxd55B
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) May 11, 2021