(Daily360.com) Senator Bernie Sanders referred to Israel’s choices in the ongoing Gaza war as “ethnic cleansing” in an appearance on CNN. Sanders talked about the high death numbers of Palestinians and the number of them that have been displaced as a result of Israel’s continuing response to the October 7 attacks.
Sanders was asked about his thoughts regarding Representative Ilhan Omar’s visit to Columbia University. Rep Omar went to the college campus to see what was happening with the protests against Israel’s role in the Gaza war. Regarding that visit, Omar made comments denouncing antisemitism that occurs against any Jewish student. She referred to two types of Jewish students as being “anti-genocide” and “pro-genocide.”
The comments sparked accusations of “blood libel” from the American Defamation League (ADL). Jonathan Greenblatt made the comments and asked for the House representative to apologize for her comments. He said that Omar implied that Jewish people who aren’t in opposition to Israel’s war in response to the terror attacks on October 7 are inherently in favor of genocide. Greenblatt clarified that it is not okay to imply that any Jewish student supports genocide.
Bernie Sanders, in response to a question about Omar’s comments, said that the main point is that antisemitism should not be tolerated. He further stated that the International Court of Justice (ICC) is considering whether the actions of Israel fall under the category of genocide. Meanwhile, high-ranking Israeli government officials are concerned that arrest warrants may be coming their way from the international court.
The ICC is currently investigating whether to issue warrants for violations of humanitarian law or genocide. The ICC investigation includes both Israeli officials as well as Hamas and the actions that have occurred since the onset of the war on October 7.
Senator Sanders further claimed that there is no doubt that the actions of Israel’s Prime Minister is ethnic cleansing. He referred to an 80% displacement rate for the people of Gaza as evidence to support his claim.
Senator Sanders added that there will potentially be an attack on a “safety zone” located in Rafah. This course of action, Sanders said, is “outrageous.” The former presidential candidate also said he is in strong opposition to any monetary support that goes from the United States to the Israeli military.
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