Sanders: My Gaza stance doesn’t make me ‘anti-Israel’
Bernie Sanders defended his view that Israel’s response in Gaza in 2014 was disproportionate and led to unnecessary deaths, saying his stance on the conflict does not make him “anti-Israel.”
Pressed by CNN moderator Wolf Blitzer during Thursday’s Democratic presidential debate about whether Israel has the right to defend itself, Sanders said Israel has “every right in the world to destroy terrorism.”
{mosads}“As somebody who spent many months of my life when I was a kid in Israel, who has family in Israel, of course Israel has a right not only to defend themselves but to live in peace and security without fear of a terrorist attack,” the Vermont senator added. “That is not a debate.”
But Sanders firmly reiterated his stance that Israel’s 2014 attack was disproportionate. He cited the 10,000 civilians who were wounded and 1,500 who were killed, as well as the decimated housing, school and healthcare systems.
Sanders said countries around the world largely share in his belief.
“In the long run — and this is not going to be easy, God only knows — if we are ever going to bring peace to that region which has seen so much hatred and so much war, we are going to have to treat the Palestinian people with respect and dignity,” he said.
In her response, rival Hillary Clinton advocated for a two-state solution, “which would give Palestinians the rights and the autonomy that they deserve.”
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