Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is calling on White House officials to condition aid that is being sent to Israel amid the Gaza war, calling the conflict an "unprecedented crisis."
The independent lawmaker said that roughly 30,000 people, two-thirds of whom are women and children, have already been killed in the war. He noted that they are looking at the possibility of hundreds of thousands of children starving to death.
Bernie Sanders Calls To Condition Israel Aid
The senator's remarks come amid a growing rift between United States President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the latter's strategy in the war. Over the years, the American government has continuously provided billions of dollars to Jerusalem and officials plan to keep supporting the nation.
When Margaret Brennan, the host of "Face the Nation," asked Sanders if it was possible for the U.S. to halt or condition aid to Israel during an election year, the lawmaker said that it would be the "right thing to do."
The senator said that the American government should not beg Netanyahu but instead tell the Israeli prime minister that he needs to change his policy if he wants more money. This could include allowing the aid trucks to come into Gaza and feed the starving children.
Sanders also noted that stopping American humanitarian aid was in violation of the law, referencing the Foreign Assistance Act. The measure restricts additional humanitarian aid if a country is found to have restricted delivery.
The situation comes after President Biden was caught on a hot mic on Thursday night where he promised to get tough with the Israeli prime minister. He told a Democratic senator after his State of the Union address (SOTU) that he was going to have a "come-to-Jesus meeting" with Netanyahu regarding the situation in Gaza.
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Calling Out the Israel-Hamas War
During the Sunday interview, Sanders said that the U.S. cannot be complicit in the mass slaughter of children in Gaza. The lawmaker remains insistent that the Hamas militant group must be destroyed but has also called on Biden to enforce the Foreign Assistance Act, said Politico.
Despite the senator's mounting pressure on the Biden administration, he made a case for his supporters to back the president during the general election in November later this year. It is where the Democrat is likely to have another face-off with his rival Republican, Donald Trump.
Sanders said that at the end of the day, Hamas cannot be allowed to continue to have control over Gaza, and Netanyahu should not be allowed to continue to run Israel if peace is what is desired in the region.
The situation comes as progressives have become critical of the president's handling of the Israel-Hamas war. They have launched various campaigns across the nation to vote "uncommitted" in a message to Biden regarding their diminishing support for his re-election bid.
Despite the loss of support among some progressives, who make up the majority of Sanders' base, he still urged people to vote for the Democrat in the upcoming election. He argued that while the fight continues to change Biden's policy in Gaza, the contrast between him and Trump is "day and night," according to CBS News.
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