Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) called upon Congress to withhold funding for Israel’s military as Israel continues to fight against Hamas.
Sanders acknowledged that the actions of “Hamas’ barbaric terrorist attack” on Oct. 7 began this war, while also slamming Israel’s “military response,” according to a statement released on Tuesday. The senator called for Congress to not consider a funding bill for Israel that would send $10.1 billion in “unconditional military aid” to the country.
“The issue we face with Israel-Gaza is not complicated,” Sanders said. “While we recognize that Hamas’ barbaric terrorist attack began this war, we must also recognize that Israel’s military response has been grossly disproportionate, immoral, and in violation of international law.”
Sanders added that Americans should “understand that Israel’s war against the Palestinian people” has been waged with a significant amount of “U.S. bombs, artillery shells, and other forms of weaponry.”
“Since October 7th, over 22,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes, two-thirds of these victims have been women and children – and 57,000 have been wounded,” Sanders said.
The Vermont senator noted that since Israel declared war against Hamas, roughly 1.9 million Palestinian men, women, and children, or roughly 85% of the population had been forced to leave their homes.
Sanders continued to reference an “analysis of satellite radar data” that showed roughly 70% of homes and residential units in Gaza had been “destroyed or damaged by Israeli bombardment.”
“A recent UN report indicates that half of the population of about 2.2 million are at risk of starvation and 90% say that they regularly go without food for a whole day,” Sanders said. “The chief economist at the World Food Program said the humanitarian disaster in Gaza is among the worst he has ever seen. This cannot be allowed to continue.”
Congress, Sanders pointed out, is “working” on passing a “supplemental funding bill” that would include $10 billion in military aid for Israel.
“Enough is enough,” Sanders added. “Congress must reject that funding. The taxpayers of the United States must no longer be complicit in destroying the lives of innocent men, women, and children in Gaza.”
Sanders has previously expressed that he wants conditions to be placed on additional funding to be sent to Israel, slamming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and calling the continued war against Hamas as being “immoral.”