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By Mark Swanson (Newsmax)
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., again called for the end of U.S. funding to Israel, which he claimed is waging a “grossly disproportionate” and “immoral” war against Palestinians in Gaza.
Sanders’ statement on Tuesday comes days after the Biden administration approved the sale of $147.5 million worth of tank shells to Israel, bypassing Congress. It also comes ahead of lawmakers returning to Capitol Hill next week to negotiate terms on President Joe Biden’s $106 billion supplemental aid bill, $10.1 billion of which is earmarked for Israel.
“The issue we face with Israel-Gaza is not complicated. While we recognize that Hamas’ barbaric terrorist attack began this war, we must also recognize that Israel’s military response has been grossly disproportionate, immoral, and in violation of international law. And, most importantly for Americans, we must understand that Israel’s war against the Palestinian people has been significantly waged with U.S. bombs, artillery shells, and other forms of weaponry. And the results have been catastrophic,” Sanders wrote.
In a post to X, Sanders also called Israel’s bid to eradicate Hamas “illegal.”
Sanders then went on to cite casualty numbers that have been released — but unverified — by the Gaza Health Ministry, which is an arm of the terrorist group Hamas, which governs Gaza. That death toll, 22,000, also does not distinguish between civilians and dead terrorists.
Sanders did not, however, place blame on Hamas for embedding itself within the Palestinian population, including schools, mosques, and hospitals, as has been repeatedly documented by Israeli Defense Forces.
“Congress is working to pass a supplemental funding bill that includes $10 billion of unconditional military aid for the right-wing Netanyahu government to continue its brutal war against the Palestinian people. Enough is enough. Congress must reject that funding. The taxpayers of the United States must no longer be complicit in destroying the lives of innocent men, women, and children in Gaza,” Sanders concluded.
Sanders previously has called for conditions to be placed on Israel to receive any more aid from the U.S. Last month he urged Biden to cut aid to Israel, citing the “mass atrocity” that the U.S. was “complicit” in against the Palestinians. Just four days after Hamas slaughtered 1,200 inside Israel, mostly civilians, the atrocities of which are still surfacing, Sanders called Israel’s response against Hamas a “war crime.”
Mark Swanson | [email protected]
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
