Bernie Sanders Accuses Israel of Genocide in Gaza

US Senator Bernie Sanders escalated his criticism of Israel on Wednesday, accusing the Jewish state of committing “genocide” in Gaza. It marked the first time since Hamas’s October 7 massacre that Sanders has used the term, despite months of previously harsh criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s military campaign.

In an article published on his website, Sanders cited human rights groups and international organizations including the International Association of Genocide Scholars and Israeli NGOs such as B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel as evidence for his charge.

Sanders acknowledged that Hamas initiated the war with its brutal October 7, 2023 massacre of 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of 250 hostages. “Israel, as any other country, had a right to defend itself from Hamas,” he wrote. But he went on to claim that Israel’s response had gone beyond defense and amounted to an assault on “the entire Palestinian people.”

He accused Netanyahu’s “extremist government” of pursuing “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza and the West Bank, backed by what he described as “full support” from former US President Donald Trump. Sanders alleged that Israel seeks to push Palestinians into neighboring countries to make way for what he derisively called Trump’s “Riviera of the Middle East.”

The senator urged Washington to end security assistance to Israel, impose an immediate ceasefire, and begin steps toward establishing a Palestinian state. “We must not continue to be complicit in the massacre,” Sanders wrote. “The intent is clear. The conclusion is inescapable: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.”

He concluded by calling for accountability for Netanyahu and his government, labeling them “war criminals.” Sanders warned that if Israel is not held responsible, “other demagogues will do the same,” adding: “History demands that the world act with one voice to say: enough is enough. No more genocide.”

Sanders’s remarks align him with the growing campaign of anti-Israel activists who have weaponized international legal terminology to delegitimize the Jewish state. While Israel continues to fight Hamas’s terror war and work toward freeing hostages, such accusations risk undermining not only Israel’s security but also global efforts to confront terrorism.

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