Senator Bernie Sanders slammed President Joe Biden for hypocrisy over his multiple statements of anger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and actions in Gaza while continuing to support military aid for Israel.
‘As you know there have been a lot of statements. I mean, one day “I’m angry,” the president is angry at Netanyahu. The next day he’s “very angry” and the next day he’s “very very angry.” So what?’ the Vermont Senator said in a blistering critic of the White House response.
‘At the same, there is support for military aid. We’re talking about $10 billion in a supplemental bill that I voted against for that reason,’ Sanders went on.
The progressive Independent senator vowed not to give Netanyahu another $10 billion in military aid to ‘continue to kill women and children in Gaza.’
Sanders made the remarks during a taping of the podcast Pod Save America which was released on Friday.
‘You cannot continue to talk about your worries about humanitarian situation in Gaza and then give Netanyahu another $10 billion or more bombs. You cannot do that. That is hypocritical.’
Senator Bernie Sanders speaking on Pod Save America blasted the ‘hypocritical’ stance of voicing concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza while still supporting military aid
Sanders said the president is not stupid and he knows Biden is a ‘very decent human being’ who is ‘hurting’ from what’s going on, but he could not say why the White House as continued with the policy of supporting military aid.
The senator was responding to a question on whether he believes the Biden administration is shifting its stance to support conditioning aid to Israel. The senator said he did not know.
On Thursday, Biden had an hour long phone call with Netanyahu after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed seven aid workers earlier in the week including a duel U.S. citizen.
President Biden speaking on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday after an IDF airstrike killed seven aid workers in Gaza
An American national was among the dead when vehicles used by World Central Kitchen were attacked in Gaza. The result has been increased concern in Washington about the crisis unfolding in the Palestinian enclave, where more than 33,000 people have been killed
Biden ’emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable,’ the White House said in a readout of the conversation.
‘He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers. He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps,’ the readout continued.
Biden is facing mounting pressure at home and abroad to do more to ensure the safety of civilians in Gaza. He has also faced growing political pressure as more Americans reject U.S. support military support for Israel.
Support for Israel’s military action in Gaza has dropped dramatically since November with the majority of Americans now opposing, according to the latest Gallup survey data.
55 percent disapprove of Israel’s actions while only 36 approve.
President Joe Biden on Friday brushed off questions about whether he had threatened to cut military to Israel after seven foreign aid workers were killed in an air strike in Gaza
Earlier this week, more than 48,000 voters opted for ‘uninstructed’ when casting ballots in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary. It came amid pressure from some groups for Democrats to not vote for Biden over his response to the war in Gaza.
On Friday, Biden dismissed question over whether he had threatened to cut military aid to Israel following the deadly airstrike on foreign aid workers in Gaza
‘I asked them to do what they’re doing,’ Biden said after Israel agreed to reopen the main land crossing into northern Gaza following Biden and Netanyahu’s call.