Highlights: Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday the United States should use aid to Israel as leverage to force its government to change its approach.
“If you want this money, you got to change your military strategy, Sanders (I-Vt.) said on CNN’s “State of the Union” when asked about a possible aid package for Israel to be considered by the Senate.
But the two senators who followed Sanders on that program were much more concerned about what Iran might be up to than what Israel is doing. Sanders condemned both Hamas (“an awful terrorist organization”) and the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (whom he hopes will be voted out), calling for a two-state solution to the intractable crisis but not specifying how to create a path forward without Hamas, Netanyahu or war.
While decrying empty slogans on both sides of the conflict, Sanders also declined to endorse or condemn Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s (D-Mich.) criticism of President Joe Biden — she accused him of supporting “genocide” — even as he said attention needed to be paid to the rhetoric of Republicans on the subject, citing former President Donald Trump.
“If anyone thinks that Trump is going to be better than Biden on this issue or any other issue, for that matter, I think they are sorely mistaken,” he said.
Bernie is the leader we need, but don't deserve.
I'm still mad he's basically guaranteed to lose primaries, even when the DNC was publicly exposed for doing exactly that.
He still refuses to call what Israel is doing a genocide. He is weak.
He's been a politician for 40+ years, and he's still likely the most honest and consistent senator we've ever had. But he's still a politician, and he has to play the game.
The unfortunate political reality in the US is that Bernie's career would have ended decades ago if he just came out and said his feelings on subjects that will kill your political career forever.
I prefer a Bernie that can do great things in the Senate for 4+ decades to, "honest to a fault about unpopular opinions"-Bernie that serves one term as Mayor of Burlington, then gets voted out and becomes an insurance salesman or whatever.
It's called diplomacy. People that want to convince people to work with them often have to use it
If countries gave their billions of dollars a year to humanitarian aid in Gaza instead of Israel's military this conflict would have ended decades ago…
People with nothing to lose, often act like people with nothing to lose.
So give them a basic quality of life they won't throw away.
Not with Hamas in charge. A lot of aid has flowed to Gaza. The problem is that the Hamas leaders take it for themselves or use it for weapons to launch against Israel. Very little actually reaches the Palestinians. Hamas's leaders are billionaires who live in luxury in Qatar while the Palestinians suffer.
I do agree with you in theory, but we need to ensure that aid actually reaches the Palestinian people and isn't just used to make some billionaires in another country even richer.
but we need to ensure that aid … isn't just used to make some billionaires in another country even richer
For one thing the paultry tens of millions of aid to Gaza/West Bank are audited and mostly goes towards roads and water.
For another, how many billionaires has US aid to Israel created? https://sgp.fas.org/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf
To date, the United States has provided Israel $158 billion (current, or non-inflation-adjusted, dollars) in bilateral assistance and missile defense funding. At present, almost all U.S. bilateral aid to Israel is in the form of military assistance; from 1971 to 2007, Israel also received significant economic assistance.
In 2016, the U.S. and Israeli governments signed their third 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on military aid, covering FY2019 to FY2028. Under the terms of the MOU, the United States pledged to provide—subject to congressional appropriation—$38 billion in military aid ($33 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grants plus $5 billion in missile defense appropriations) to Israel.
There are no audits of the monies Israel collects, and no penalty for even destroying the USS Liberty or stealing nuclear technology.
At the very least US needs to suspend the arms and money because of
Section 502B(a)(2) of the FAA (22 U.S.C. §2304(a)(2)) stipulates that, absent the exercise of certain presidential waivers due to extraordinary circumstances, “no security assistance may be provided to any country the government of which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.”
Not with Hamas in charge
If Israel wasn't getting "self defense aid" they likely wouldn't have prevented Gaza from holding elections for the last couple decades…
In the current situation, Israel benefits greatly from Hamas "being in charge" of Gaza, even tho they don't really have any political power.
Like, it's hard to blame Hamas when Israel controls all the infrastructure and borders, and even controls police and what areas ambulances can pass thru.
Neither Hamas nor Israel's current government could exist without the other.
They mainly benefit from being a hotspot in a politically charged region where America has interest.
https://theintercept.com/2023/10/27/secret-military-base-israel-gaza-site-512/
Most of the defense spending we send over as “aid” lines defense contractors pockets and allows the US military to have a much larger presence there.
Defense contractors, and most of the politicians voting to support the “aid” that is sent don’t give a shit about Israel’s cause. They want a strong, profitable position in the Middle East, and putting on a front that they are supporting this “free, democratic” ally is a ploy to increase and expand that profit and funding wherever possible
A lot of that could be fixed by making the aid material support like food, clothing, and medicine instead of money.
Israel blocks out a lot of humanitarian aid.
We gave a lot of aid to Hati, and it was all funneled off and none of it made it to the people. Don't see Gaza doing any better.
Holy weasel words, Batman! REALLY working hard to make it sound like Bernie's a clueless hypocrite and Tlaib is an evil liar for her speaking truth to power and him not condemning her for it like all the lickspittles are 🤦
A true mensch that one.
but not specifying how to create a path forward without Hamas, Netanyahu or war.
Unfortunately this is exactly what is actually needed.
Everyone knows what the „international public“ does not want: Civilian deaths
No one seems to know how to actually do it.
Finally you say something positive and productive. I didn't think you had it in you, but I am pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong. Hopefully you can continue this trend into the future.
I appreciate this kind of honesty with the current situation. There are cultural and border differences abound in this world, and things will only get worse once resources become more scarce. Regardless of ideology, people need to work together to survive.
@jeffw He took 800,000 bucks from arms manufacturers in 2020.
