Senator Bernie Sanders has riled up Israelis after saying he would “absolutely” consider using the $3.8 billion in military assistance the US gives Israel annually as leverage to force Tel Aviv to change its policy.
“I have family in Israel. I am Jewish. I am not anti-Israel,” Sanders said, speaking to former Obama speechwriter John Favreau in a recent podcast. “I believe that the people of Israel absolutely have the right to live in peace, independence and security – end of discussion,” he said.
“But I think what has happened is, in recent years under [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu you have an extreme right-wing government with many racist tendencies. The role of the United States, and this is not easy, is to try to finally bring peace to the Middle East and to treat the Palestinian people with the kind of respect and dignity they deserve,” Sanders added.
The 77-year-old senator, who is currently polling behind former Vice President Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination in most national polls, has repeatedly criticised the Netanyahu government in recent years, and has sparked outrage among some pro-Israeli Americans and many Israelis over his positions, which some have perceived as overly pro-Palestinian.
According to Sanders, Washington’s policy “cannot just be pro-Israel, pro-Israel, pro-Israel. It has got to be pro-region working with all of the people, all of the countries in that area.” Sanders promised that if he were elected, he would sit down with all the regional countries and parties, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, the Palestinians and Israel to “hammer out some damn agreements, which will try to end the conflicts that exist there forever.”
Sanders’ latest remarks sparked fresh criticisms from many Israelis and their supporters, who charged him with being a “malicious, malevolent” “self-hating Jew” and accused him of being “out of touch with reality.”
Others voiced support for the senator, however, suggesting that other Democratic candidates for president including Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren should follow suit in expressing similar sentiments.
Some asked the senator to be more specific, however, asking what a “pro-region” US policy would actually look like.