Sen. Sanders slams Israel aid in $100 billion emergency spending package

Sen. Bernard Sanders is knocking the proposed funding for Israel in the $110 billion emergency aid package that the chamber weighed, Tuesday in a letter to his colleagues.

“At a time when some 16,000 Palestinians have been killed in the last two months, two thirds of whom are women and children, and more than 40,000 have been injured… No, I do not think we should be appropriating $10.1 billion for the right-wing, extremist Netanyahu government to continue its current military strategy,” he wrote.

The Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on the $110 billion bill that includes money for Ukraine, Taiwan, Israel, and humanitarian aid for Gaza.

Mr. Sanders, Vermont independent, said the bill doesn’t do enough for the American people.

“I am deeply concerned that this legislation has no investments to address the emergency needs of working families in the United States — 60% of whom are living paycheck to paycheck,” he wrote.  “Let’s be clear: it is not only foreign countries that face emergencies. We face enormous crises in this country right now in terms of child care, primary health care, housing, and much more. The American people want action on these vitally important issues.”

Mr. Sanders, one of the most well-known Jewish members of Congress, has continuously been critical of Israel’s retaliatory actions towards Hamas since the terrorist group launched its surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

He has called for conditions on the U.S. aid to Israel, a proposal which received criticism from other lawmakers.

He stressed that “Israel has an absolute right to defend itself [but] it does not, however, have the right to wage all-out war against innocent men, women, and children who had nothing to do with the Hamas attack.”

“I believe that it would be absolutely irresponsible to provide an additional $10.1 billion in unconditional military aid that will allow the Netanyahu government to continue its current inhumane military approach,” he wrote.

He called on Israel to change its counterattack approach to minimize the number of civilians affected, along with allowing displaced Palestinians to return to their homes. He also called on Israel to end the killings of Palestinians in the West Bank and put a freeze on new settlements there, along with agreeing to not having long-term occupations in Gaza, and be open to conversations about finding a two-state solution.