- Sanders denounced the White House statements, saying there can be no concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza while supporting military aid
- Biden spoke by phone with Netanyahu on Thursday, emphasizing that strikes against aid workers and the humanitarian situation in Gaza are ‘unacceptable’
Senator Bernie Sanders blasted President Joe Biden for his hypocrisy over his frequent expressions of anger against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his actions in Gaza while continuing to support military aid to Israel.
‘As you know, there have been many explanations. I mean, one day “I’m angry,” the president is angry with Netanyahu. The next day he is ‘very angry’ and the next day ‘very angry’. So?’ the Vermont senator said in a blistering critic of the White House response.
‘At the same time there is support for military aid. We’re talking about a $10 billion supplemental bill that I voted against for that reason,” Sanders continued.
The progressive independent senator promised Netanyahu not to give another $10 billion in military aidcontinue killing women and children in Gaza.”
Sanders made the comments during a recording of the Pod Save America podcast released Friday.
“You can’t keep talking about your concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and then give Netanyahu another $10 billion or more in bombs. You can not do that. That’s hypocritical.’
Senator Bernie Sanders, speaking on Pod Save America, denounced the “hypocritical” attitude of raising concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza while still supporting military aid
Sanders said the president is not stupid and that he knows Biden is a “very decent human being” who is “hurt” by what is going on, but he could not say why the White House continued the policy of supporting of military aid.
The senator was responding to a question about whether he believes the Biden administration is shifting its position to support conditioning aid to Israel. The senator said he didn’t know.
On Thursday, Biden had an hour-long phone call with Netanyahu after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed seven aid workers earlier this week, including a clash with a U.S. citizen.
President Biden spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday after an IDF airstrike killed seven aid workers in Gaza
A US citizen was among those killed when World Central Kitchen vehicles were attacked in Gaza. The result is increased concern in Washington about the crisis developing in the Palestinian enclave, where more than 33,000 people have been killed.
Biden “emphasized that the attacks on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable,” the White House said in a readout of the call.
“He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete and measurable steps to address the harm to civilians, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers. He made clear that U.S. policy toward Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps,” the lecture continued.
Biden faces increasing pressure at home and abroad to do more to ensure the safety of civilians in Gaza. He has also faced mounting political pressure as more Americans reject U.S. military support for Israel.
According to the latest Gallup poll data, support for Israel’s military action in Gaza has fallen dramatically since November, with the majority of Americans now opposing it.
55 percent disapprove of Israel’s actions, while only 36 percent approve.
President Joe Biden on Friday dismissed questions about whether he had threatened to restrict the military to Israel after seven foreign aid workers were killed in an airstrike in Gaza
Earlier this week, more than 48,000 voters chose ‘uninstructed’ when casting their ballots during the Democratic primaries in Wisconsin. It happened under pressure from some groups on Democrats not to vote for Biden because of his response to the war in Gaza.
On Friday, Biden rejected questions about whether he had threatened to cut off military aid to Israel after the deadly airstrike on foreign aid workers in Gaza.
“I asked them to do what they do,” Biden said after Israel agreed to reopen the main border crossing into northern Gaza following Biden and Netanyahu’s call.