Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) reiterated his stance against providing additional U.S. aid to Israel, saying that Americans do not want to be part of the starvation of children in Gaza.
“I understand that every Republican wants to give a lot of money to Israel,” Sanders said during an interview with NBC News’s “Meet the Press.” My guess is that many Republicans want Israel to go into Rafah, despite the immense humanitarian suffering it will cause, and there are Democrats who feel the same way.
“But I can tell you, Kristen, that is not how the American people feel. Poll after poll shows that the American people want an immediate ceasefire and massive humanitarian aid to reach Gaza. The people of our country do not want to be involved in the starvation of hundreds of thousands of children.
Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, has repeatedly called for an end to U.S. aid due to the civilian death toll and diminishing humanitarian resources. Over 35,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks.
Polls have varied in their indications of Americans’ sentiment over the war. In a poll last month, nearly one-third of Americans said Israel had gone too far. has gone too far in Gaza, while another poll released in recent weeks found an overwhelming majority of Americans support Israel in its war against Hamas.
About 1,200 people were killed in Israel on Oct. 7, while about 250 others were taken hostage by Hamas and brought to Gaza.
The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has led to a severe shortage of food, water, medicine, and other resources amid the violence. World Food Programme (WFP) Director Cindy McCain reported earlier this month that there is a “full-blown famine” in northern Gaza.
A WFP report released in March stated that about 1.1 million people in Gaza have completely depleted their food supplies and are facing catastrophic hunger and starvation.
Congress passed a significant foreign aid package last month, including $26 billion for Israel and global humanitarian aid, including for Gaza. Sanders voted against the package, pointing to the “8.9 billion in unfettered military aid” allowing Israel to conduct an “unprecedented assault against the Palestinian people. “But the reality is, as I believe any unbiased observer knows, Israel has violated international law. It has violated American law. And in my view, Israel should not receive another cent in U.S. military aid,” Sanders said Sunday. “Look, the facts are quite clear. Hamas is a terrible, disgusting terrorist organization that began this war. But what Israel has done over the last seven months is not just gone to war against Hamas, it has gone to war against the entire Palestinian people,” he continued.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Sunday reiterated his opposition to further U.S. aid to Israel, saying that Americans do not want to be “complicit” in the starvation of children in Gaza. “Well, I understand…look, every Republican as I understand it, wants to give huge amounts of money to Israel,” Sanders said during an interview…
“Look, the facts are quite clear. Hamas is a terrible, disgusting terrorist organization that began this war. But what Israel has done over the last seven months is not just gone to war against Hamas, it has gone to war against the entire Palestinian people,” he continued.
