Sen. Bernie Sanders slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a speech on the floor of the Senate on July 23, The Guardian reported, calling him a “war criminal” and saying it was a “disgrace” he was invited to address a joint session of Congress. “It will be the first time in American history that a war criminal has been given that honor.… He should not be welcome in the United States Congress.” Sanders boycotted Netanyahu’s speech, as did many Senators and Congressmen on both sides of the aisle.
Israel’s war on Gaza has “trampled on international law, on American law, and on basic human values,” Sanders said. “In my view, his rightwing, extremist government should not receive another nickel of U.S. taxpayer support to continue the inhumane destruction of Gaza.… Every university has been bombed, and 88% of all school buildings have been damaged. And now, because of the ongoing restrictions on humanitarian aid, some 495,000 people face catastrophic levels of food insecurity—in other words, they are starving.”
