Bernie Sanders becomes first US senator to say Israel is committing genocide in Gaza

BERNIE SANDERS HAS said that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and called for the United States to “end our complicity in the slaughter of the Palestinian people”. 

The veteran Democrat is the first US senator to describe Israel’s assault on the territory as a genocide. A number of members of the House of Representatives have previously done so. 

It comes a day after the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. 

The commission, tasked with investigating the rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, concluded that Israeli authorities and forces had since October 2023 committed “four of the five genocidal acts” listed in the 1948 Genocide Convention.

While critical of the Israeli government, Sanders previously refrained from using the term genocide, telling CNN in July that it was a “legal term” 

In an op-ed posted on his own website today, he wrote that Israel had a right to defend itself from Hamas, who “began this war with its brutal attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 innocent people and took 250 hostages”. 

“But, over the last two years, Israel has not simply defended itself against Hamas. Instead, it has waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people,” the Vermont senator wrote.

He cited the conclusions of genocide made by legal experts, including the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel and the Israeli human rights groups B’Tselem.

He also referenced statements made by Israeli officials calling for the destruction of Gaza. This includes Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant saying they were fighting “human animals” and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich vowing that “Gaza will be entirely destroyed.” 

“For almost two years, the extremist Netanyahu government has severely limited the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza and thrown up every possible hurdle to the United Nations and other aid groups trying to provide lifesaving supplies,” Sanders wrote. 

The intent is clear. The conclusion is inescapable: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

He said the “extremist Netanyahu government” is openly pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank “with the Trump administration’s full support”. 

“The truth is, whether you call it genocide or ethnic cleansing or mass atrocities or war crimes, the path forward is clear. We, as Americans, must end our complicity in the slaughter of the Palestinian people.”

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Sanders is one of a group of Democratic senators who have been attempting to block shipments of US weapons to Israel. He said the US must not continue “sending many billions of dollars and weapons to Netanyahu’s genocidal government”.

“Having named it a genocide, we must use every ounce of our leverage to demand an immediate ceasefire, a massive surge of humanitarian aid facilitated by the UN, and initial steps to provide Palestinians with a state of their own.”

Elsewhere, London mayor Sadiq Khan also stated today that he believes what is happening in Gaza “is a genocide”. It comes a week after the British government concluded that Israel’s actions did not constitute genocide. 

Countries who have supplied Israel with weapons throughout its war against the people of Gaza could face legal consequences for complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, according to international law experts who spoke to The Journal recently.

Israel has since the start of the war on Gaza faced accusations of genocide from many NGOs and independent UN experts, as well as in a case brought against it by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). 

In January last year, the ICJ ordered Israel to prevent acts of “genocide” in Gaza but those injunctions have been ignored by Netanyahu’s government as he has pressed on with his stated aim of “destroying” Hamas, even against a wave of domestic opposition. 

“Israel has flagrantly disregarded the orders for provisional measures from the International Court of Justice and warnings from Member States, UN offices, human rights organisations and civil society groups, and continued the strategy of destruction of the Palestinians in Gaza,” said Pillay.

“The Commission finds that the Israeli authorities had no intention to change their course of actions. On the contrary, Israeli authorities have persisted and continued with their genocidal campaign in Gaza for almost two years now.”

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has also issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Angered by that move, US President Donald Trump’s administration has sanctioned members of the court, barring them from entering the United States and freezing their assets.

Earlier this month, the US State Department sanctioned Palestinian NGOs for their support of the ICC. 

Need more information on what is happening in Israel and Palestine? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to navigating the news online.

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