CNN
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Sen. Bernie Sanders said Monday night that hopes for U.S. policy changes on Israel’s efforts in the Gaza war, the fight against climate change and the fight over abortion rights will be dashed or defeated if Donald Trump wins. He said he would. Re-elected in November.
Since becoming the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris has been challenged by pro-Palestinian anti-war activists to publicly advocate conditioning military aid to Israel, or at least signal a move away from President Joe Biden’s strong support. I have been forced to do one or the other. For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government.
On Monday night, Mr. Sanders placed himself among those detractors in a passionate defense of Ms. Harris in a video posted to social media.
“I know there are millions of Americans who disagree with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on the terrible war in Gaza, and I’m one of them,” said the independent senator from Vermont. spoke directly to the camera, then said again: “Israel had the right to protect itself from the horrific Hamas terrorist attack of October 7.”
Mr. Sanders was one of the first members of Congress to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, and although he acted more cautiously than many left-wing activists had hoped, he quickly became Netanyahu’s most vocal critic on Capitol Hill and called for a ceasefire in Gaza. He emerged as one of his tenacious defenders. US policy changes. In September, he announced plans to introduce a Senate resolution to block the sale of offensive weapons to Israel.
“Some of you are saying, how can you vote for Kamala Harris when she supports this terrible war? That’s a very fair question,” Sanders said in the video. spoke after recounting the bloody toll it had taken on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Harris, who first called for a temporary ceasefire in a speech at the annual commemoration of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, in March and supports a two-state solution in the region, has been criticized by activists. It has been under pressure for months. Join her in breaking with Biden.
During a brief meeting in Flint, Michigan, three weeks ago, a group of Arab American advocates and leaders asked Harris, Wael Al-Zayat, chief executive officer of the Muslim American advocacy group Emgage Action, “We asked them to distance themselves from Mr. Harris’ behavior,” the CEO later told CNN. The government will govern this issue according to its current policy, but we cannot agree to that. ”
Harris has often reiterated her desire to end the war, sometimes in response to protesters disrupting her campaign speeches, but has remained steadfast in following the Biden administration’s policies and talking points.
Mr. Sanders laid out Ms. Harris’ case and, in short, argued that she was convincing.
“After Kamala wins, I promise you that I will do everything in my power to change U.S. policy toward Netanyahu,” Sanders implored viewers. “An immediate ceasefire, the return of all hostages, a massive scale-up of humanitarian aid, an end to settler attacks on the West Bank, and the rebuilding of Gaza for the Palestinian people.”
But before talking about Harris, Sanders asked voters to consider their options, starting with Trump.
“Donald Trump and his right-wing friends are even worse,” Sanders said. “Trump said Netanyahu was doing a good job and said Biden was “holding Netanyahu back.” He suggested the Gaza Strip would be the perfect seaside land for development. And it’s no wonder that Prime Minister Netanyahu wants Donald Trump to take office.
In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Hamas, President Trump spoke about the Gaza Strip, which was home to about 2 million Palestinians before the war began. I thought about the prospects for real estate.
“As a developer, the weather, the water, everything, the climate could be the most beautiful place,” Trump said. “It could be very beautiful.”
Although Mr. Gaza dominated the message, Mr. Sanders also directly answered questions about whether Mr. Trump opposes abortion rights, supports additional tax cuts for the wealthy and supports raising the minimum wage. He also pointed out that he was refusing to do so.
“If Trump wins, to be honest with you, the fight against climate change is over,” Sanders said. “Virtually every scientist who has studied this issue understands that climate change is real and an existential threat to our country and the world, but President Trump believes it to be a hoax.” .”
In a video released about 24 hours after President Trump’s controversial Madison Square Garden rally ended, Sanders talks about watching the rally on TV.
Reflecting on the progressive fight against institutional bias, Sanders said, “We’ve been trying to fight bigotry (for years), and that’s exactly what was on display at that incredible Trump rally.” he said.
“It wasn’t a matter of speech, it wasn’t about standing on the ground and disagreeing with Kamala Harris on this issue. It didn’t matter at all. They just wanted to know that she was a woman and a person of color. They attacked her just because of it.Vulgar sexism and racism in the extreme.
“Is that really the America we can tolerate?” Sanders asked.
