LONDON: Bernie Sanders has become the first US senator to say Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
“Over the last two years, Israel has not simply defended itself against Hamas,” he wrote on his Senate webpage. “Instead, it has waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people.”
A UN report earlier this week said there are reasonable grounds to believe genocide is taking place in Gaza.
Posting on his webpage, in response to the report’s statement that Israel’s activities “meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide convention,” he said: “I agree.”
Sanders, who has led efforts in Congress to curb weapons exports to Israel, has long advocated the country’s right to self-defense in the aftermath of the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023, and previously said use of the word genocide made him “queasy” in relation to Gaza.
