Maybe it’s time to not simply worry about the violence we are seeing on American campuses, but focus on the unprecedented violence in Gaza.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday night spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate:

And let me also mention something that I found rather extraordinary and outrageous. And that is just a few days ago Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of the right-wing extremist government in Israel, a government which contains out-and-out anti-Palestinian racists.

Netanyahu issued a statement in which he equated criticism of his government’s illegal and immoral war against the Palestinian people with antisemitism. In other words, if you are protesting, or disagree, with what Netanyahu and his extremist government are doing in Gaza, you are an antisemite.

That is an outrageous statement from a leader who is clearly trying – and I have to tell you, he seems to be succeeding with the American media — trying to deflect attention away from the horrific policies that he is pursuing that created an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.

So, let me be as clear as I can be: It is not antisemitic or pro-Hamas to point out that in almost seven months Netanyahu’s extremist government has killed 34,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 77,000 – seventy percent of whom are women and children.

It is not antisemitic to point out that Netanyahu’s government’s bombing has completely destroyed more than 221,000 housing units in Gaza, leaving more than one million people homeless – almost half the population. No, Mr. Netanyahu it is not antisemitic to point out what you have done in terms of the destruction of housing in Gaza.

It is not antisemitic to realize that his government has annihilated Gaza’s health care system, knocking 26 hospitals out of service and killing more than 400 health care workers. At a time when 77,000 people have been wounded and desperately need medical care, Netanyahu has systematically destroyed the health care system in Gaza.

It is not antisemitic to condemn his government’s destruction of all of Gaza’s 12 universities and 56 of its schools, with hundreds more damaged, leaving 625,000 children in Gaza have no opportunity for an education. It is not antisemitic to make that point.

It is not antisemitic to note that Netanyahu’s government has obliterated Gaza’s civilian infrastructure – there is virtually no electricity in Gaza right now, virtually no clean water in Gaza right now, and sewage is seeping out onto the streets.

It is not antisemitic to make that point.

President, it is not antisemitic to agree with virtually every humanitarian organization that functions in the Gaza area in saying that his government, in violation of American law, has unreasonably blocked humanitarian aid coming into Gaza.

  • Sanctus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1614·
    8 months ago

    You can write him in. My dream would be a mass movement to write him in but that’s not gonna happen.

    • protistEnglish
      485·
      8 months ago

      Bernie Sanders has endorsed Biden and would encourage you to vote for Biden. Maybe you should listen to him

        • protistEnglish
          413·
          8 months ago

          Bernie drug his feet and obviously begrudgingly endorsed Clinton. Bernie has given Biden a full-throated endorsement from the beginning, and clearly doesn’t harbor personal ill-will toward him like he did toward Clinton

        • morphballganon@lemmy.world
          143·
          8 months ago

          Biden is more likely to make it past the post than Bernie, and every intelligent, non-fascist voter knows this.

          • Wes4Humanity@lemm.ee
            56·
            8 months ago

            That’s what they said about Hillary… I’d bet if we could swap out Biden for Bernie on the ballots come November he’d still beat Trump. Just like he would have 8 years ago.

            • jumjummy@lemmy.world
              71·
              8 months ago

              What type of delusional thinking is this? I swear Lemmy is filled with people who don’t understand how the world works or are being intentionally dishonest.

              There’s no way in the world that Bernie would pull more votes than Biden. Absolutely no way. Any frustration people have with Biden, Trump will be oh so much worse. Want the party to move left? It’s locally and in other elections leading up to the general. Once we’re at the general election, unfortunately with the stupid way the US voting system is set up, voting for Biden is the o lot sane decision.

              And I’m saying this as someone who voted for Bernie in the primary!

              • Wes4Humanity@lemm.ee
                2·
                8 months ago

                Yeah, obviously, because we can’t have Bernie. But do you think there’s a lot of people ready to vote for Biden who would simply stay home if it was Bernie instead of Biden on the ballot? You think there’s a lot of people who would switch to Trump instead of Bernie? Of course not, the liberals would hold their noses and vote for Bernie just like they’re forcing us to do with Biden. BUT Bernie would also bring millions of new voters and young people out. People who will probably just stay home in November. So Bernie gets all of Biden’s votes PLUS millions of people who Biden won’t get. Same would have happened in '16 if Clinton hadn’t rigged the primary.

        • crusa187@lemmy.ml
          3·
          8 months ago

          Delusional DNC seems to want another Trump term, much more than they want to win elections. They must think they can get more tax cuts and another fundraising opportunity out of it, plus the chance to continue the long held tradition of not holding elites responsible for any of their myriad crimes. Total morons imo.