Posted on 02/28/2017 5:50:17 PM PST by SJackson
The progressive senator compared Palestinians to Native Americans, but praised Israel's founding values
Democratic senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has called for an end to the “50-year occupation” of the Palestinian territory by Israel in a speech on Monday, saying that Washington should pursue policies that would ensure a “prosperous future for Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians alike”.
After asserting Israel’s right to exist, praising its “progressive” founding values and emphasising the importance of having a democratic homeland for the Jewish people, Sanders compared Palestinians who fled their homes in the lead-up to the founding of Israel in 1948 to Native Americans.
“Like our own country, the founding of Israel involved the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people already living there, the Palestinian people,” he said. “Over 700,000 people were made refugees.”
He added that acknowledging the plight of Palestinians does not delegitimise Israel as much as learning about the suffering of Native Americans does not delegitimise the United States.
"There is no question that we should be and will be Israel’s strong friend and ally in the years to come," Sanders said. "At the same time, we must recognise that Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian territories and its daily restrictions on the political and civil liberties of the Palestinian people runs contrary to fundamental American values."
Sanders contrasts Iran deal, Iraq war
Speaking at the conference of J Street, a liberal Jewish group that describes itself as pro-Israel and pro-peace, Sanders called on the United States to play a productive role in the Middle East. He drew a contrast between the Iran nuclear deal, which he said peacefully kept Tehran from acquiring an atomic bomb, and the Iraq war - "a foreign policy blunder of enormous magnitude".
'Like our own country, the founding of Israel involved the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people already living there, the Palestinian people'
- Bernie Sanders "That agreement demonstrated that real American leadership, real American power, is not shown by our ability to blow things up, but by our ability to bring parties together, to forge international consensus around shared problems, and then to mobilise that consensus to address those problems," he said of the nuclear deal.
Sanders condemned anti-Semitism and all kinds of bigotry, calling on President Donald Trump and his cabinet to denounce hate.
"When we see violent and verbal racist attacks against minorities – whether they are African-Americans, Jews, Muslims in our country, immigrants in our country, or the LGBT community, these attacks must be condemned at the highest levels of our government," the senator said.
Read more: Trump, Netanyahu and the pro-Israel monster Sanders cited the bomb threats to Jewish community organisations and the suspected hate crime near Kansas City that claimed the life of an Indian immigrant.
"Trump and his political adviser Mr [Steve] Bannon understand that the world is watching: it is imperative that their voices be loud and clear in condemning anti-Semitism, violent attacks against immigrants in this country," he said.
Sanders, who is leading a progressive movement within the Democratic Party, slammed the White House for failing to mention Jewish victims in its Holocaust Remembrance Day statement, calling the move “extraordinary”.
Bernie needs to get lost.
The Burn needs to end his decades of the occupation of Vermont.
Occupation of what country Bernie? No one called it an occupation when Jordan was there. Jordan doesn’t claim that land any more. So what country is it?
I am of the opinion that Palestinians need to stop their occupation of the Israeli homeland.
FU.
The Arabs need to end their thousand year intifada....
Any mention of the Arab-Israeli War of 1948??
And this could have been president...
I find it interesting that in the past century every 50 years has seen major change in Jerusalem.
1917 the British conquered Jerusalem from the Turks who had been holding it for centuries.
1967 the Israeli Defense Force took the part of Jerusalem from the Arabs who had occupied it since 1948 when the British left.
2017 could be the final change when Israel keeps the Holy City and makes it her capital.
Israel needs to end the 50 year pestilence in Judea and Samaria and in Gaza.
Technically it’s not an occupation if the fake pali people are removed from the land and moved into Bernies lake house.
Kapo!
Israel is the only place on Earth where Jews carry guns to defend their lives & homeland. This and God’s special grace has insured the survival of the Jewish state.
In spite of Sanders & his ilk.
Bernie needs to end his 50 year moratorium on actually having a real job.
It isn’t an occupation or occupied territories. They were the spoils of war that the enemies of Israel lost. They should never have been termed ‘occupied territories’.
Burnie has a diseased mind. Evil freak.
Daft as a brush.
If I recall, Marx was a Jew that lived with his mother.
I am still amazed at how many Jews sided with the mooslimb pretender, O”Bummer. There are many that are embarrassed by Israel and Israel is ashamed of them, in return.
I don't think so, you doddering senile ignoramus... the koranimal invaders need to end their 67-year occupation of sovereign Israeli territory, including Gaza and the West Bank.
The koranimals set out to destroy Israel in 1949, lost decisively, lost again thrice and they still don't grasp the total loss.
Israel's restraint has been superhuman.
LET me recite from the Torah Bernie....”Those that Bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse it will be cursed” Adonai is speaking to Abraham...YOU just cursed your own Jewish people that might win you progressive votes but that vote that goes for your eternal home just went into the firey pit of sheol!
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