Bernie Sanders: 'Netanyahu Has Not Just Gone After Hamas They've Gone After The Palestinian People'

2 days ago

During a Senate Health Committee Hearing on antisemitic disruptions on campus on Thursday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) slammed the actions of the Israeli Government in its prosecution in the war against Hamas in Gaza.

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00:00of this committee in saying that hate and discrimination of any kind is beyond

00:06acceptable and has no place in our society. In the United States of America

00:11in the year 2025 it should not be a controversial statement to say that

00:16anti-semitism is horrific and must be must not be tolerated any place in our

00:23country. Let us never forget that anti-semitism has plagued Jewish people

00:30for many many many centuries culminating in the slaughter of some 6 million Jews

00:36during the Holocaust. Mr. Chairman a number of years ago my wife and I

00:41visited Auschwitz I don't know if you have ever done that but I would

00:44recommend that anybody here who goes to Europe drop by and it's certainly a

00:50something that you will never forget. A number of years ago I was happened to

00:55be in Pittsburgh and I spoke with the rabbi at the Tree of Life synagogue in

01:00Pittsburgh as you recall it was the worst slaughter of Jews in American

01:04history. Seven Jews were killed by somebody at a synagogue. So let me be

01:10very clear anti-semitism on college campuses or any by any place else must

01:17be condemned in the strongest possible terms. But today we should also be clear

01:24that we and I again I hope I speak for every member of this committee condemn

01:28all forms of bigotry. Vile hatred is not something that should exist in the

01:34United States whether it is racism against the African-American community

01:39whether it's sexism whether it's homophobia whether it is xenophobia or

01:44whether it is Islamophobia. Today in America we have Asian-Americans who are

01:51walking the streets and getting harassed. We have Muslims who are walking the

01:57streets and getting harassed. We continue to see people who are African-American

02:02and Latino face prejudice of all kinds and in fact we have seen a rise in hate

02:09crimes against the transgender community as well. And I want to remind people

02:13because this is kind of a little bit personal in my city of Burlington

02:17Vermont just a couple of years ago three miles from where I live ten minutes away

02:22three young Palestinian students wonderful kids because I ended up

02:27talking to them they were shot in cold blood shot because they were

02:32Palestinians. So Mr. Chairman I applaud you for holding this hearing but I hope

02:36when we look about prejudice and bigotry in America we may want to expand it.

02:40Anti-semitism unacceptable so is Islamophobia and other forms of bigotry.

02:46Now the other thing and you touched on it a moment ago Mr. Chairman there is a

02:52great dispute and debate in this country about what's going on in Gaza right now

02:57no great secret about that. As you indicated Mr. Chairman in October of a

03:03year and a half ago Hamas a terrorist organization launched a horrific attack

03:08against Israel killed 1,200 innocent men women and children took several hundred

03:13people hostage. I don't think there's anybody on this committee who does not

03:17believe that Israel had the right to defend itself and go after Hamas

03:21terrorist organization. But Mr. Chairman there are very serious disagreements

03:26about what the Netanyahu government has done in Gaza and some of us think that

03:36Netanyahu has not just gone after Hamas they've gone after the Palestinian

03:42people and in a nation or group of 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza over 50,000

03:49of them have been killed over half of whom two-thirds of them are women and

03:55children. Over a hundred thousand people have been wounded because of the

04:00incessant bombing on civilian areas. The entire infrastructure of Gaza their

04:07entire health care system their educational system their water system

04:11has been completely destroyed and according to international law and in my

04:19view what Netanyahu has done is criminal. So we can agree that anti-semitism is

04:27unacceptable in all forms but some of us happen to believe that the response

04:32of the Netanyahu government to the Hamas attack is also unacceptable and if

04:37anyone wants to suggest that I or anybody else who speaks out on that

04:42issue whether you are on a college campus or in the United States Senate is

04:46anti-semitic because we think that what Netanyahu is doing is outrageous we can

04:52have that debate. If I attack the Italian government for doing what they

04:58may or may not be doing I'm not anti-Italian or the Irish government. To

05:02attack the Netanyahu government for their outrageous activities in Gaza does

05:08not make one an anti-Semite. So with that Mr. President Mr.

05:14Chairman I would yield the floor.

Bernie Sanders: 'Netanyahu Has Not Just Gone After Hamas They've Gone After The Palestinian People'

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