During an interview released on Wednesday’s “Pod Save the World,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said that Israel “is a right-wing country, increasingly becoming a religious fundamentalist country” where some officials have a view that is “not a whole lot different, by the way, than what Hamas is saying.” And “Israel certainly had the right to defend itself, but it did not and does not have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people” in a way that is comparable to Putin’s war on Ukraine. He also called for America to work in a “much more cooperative way” with China on climate.
Sanders said, “I think that many people do not understand that the Israel of today is not the Israel of Golda Meir, of 20 or 30 years ago. It is a right-wing country, increasingly becoming a religious fundamentalist country, where you have some of these guys in office who believe that God told them they have a right to control the entire area, not a whole lot different, by the way, than what Hamas is saying. So, bottom line, Hamas committed an atrocity, in my view. Israel certainly had the right to defend itself, but it did not and does not have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people.”
He added, “Hamas is a terrorist organization…who wants to destroy Israel. I don’t think you’re going to have peace so long as they’re in power. I think, clearly, the Netanyahu government is right-wing extremist. I don’t think you’re going to have peace so long as they are in power. So, hopefully, the people of Israel will elect new leadership, which appreciates and understands, as difficult as it may seem, the need for a two-state solution, that the Palestinian people will get rid of leadership which has a mentality that they must destroy Israel rather than pay attention to the economic and social needs of their own people, not easy stuff, but I think that’s the direction that we’ve got to go.”
Later, [relevant remarks begin around 1:13:15] Sanders stated, “What Putin is doing — has done and is doing in Ukraine is outrageous. And yet, how can the United States condemn, with a straight face, Putin’s bombing of apartment buildings and killing children, how do you say, this is a terrible thing? Really? Compared to what? Compared to the destruction that’s going on in Gaza, where we turn a blind eye?”
He added, “[Y]ou tell me how this planet is going to be habitable and healthy for future generations if we don’t deal with climate change. How do you deal with climate change if we’re not dealing with China? How do you deal with future pandemics if you’re not dealing globally? How do you do that? Really? Pandemics don’t stop at the country’s border. Climate change is going to wreck China. It’s going to wreck the United States. So, … we’ve got to work in a cooperative — much more cooperative way.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
