Senator Sanders calls Netanyahu a war criminal; will not attend Congressional address

[TomDaisy]

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Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. He should not be invited to address a joint meeting of Congress. I certainly will not attend.

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Agree 100%.

[WarGamer]

1. good for him.

I wish it was 50 Democrats...

[LuvLoogie]

2. Yeah. It's a duck.

I mean, could be, no?

[Think. Again.]

3. Thank you Senator Sanders.

[malaise]

4. Bernie is correct

Rec

[Ping Tung]

5. Bravo to him. I hope more humanitarian progressives dare to join him.

?itok=znG406a_

[Deuxcents]

6. I wish we could clone him. I don't always agree but he's usually right about things.

[MuseRider]

7. Ahhh Bernie

thank you so much. Some of my inlaws feel this way but most do not. Thank you for saying this. I am 100% with you but needing to be very quiet about this.

[B.See]

8. Nice to know that Bernie, the ICC, and I are in agreement on this.

I believe Netanyahu doesn't want peace and never has.

Netanyahu says no Gaza ceasefire until Israel’s war aims are achieved, raising questions over Biden peace proposal - CNN

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that the conditions for ending the country’s war in Gaza “have not changed,” raising questions over a peace proposal laid out by US President Joe Biden which he said Israel submitted.

During a speech Friday, Biden said Hamas had been degraded to a point where it can no longer carry out the type of attack seen on October 7 that launched the current war. Part of the agreement, he said, would see a truce and hostage exchange while Israel and Hamas negotiate a permanent end to the fighting.

It was perhaps the furthest Biden has gone in telling Israel its stated goals for its operation in Gaza have been met, and that the time has arrived to stop the fighting.

The proposal has been welcomed across the international community. The UN, the UK, France, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have all expressed support for Biden’s proposal, while Qatar and Egypt joined the US in calling on Israel and Hamas to “finalize” the proposed ceasefire agreement.

[Celerity]

9. Absolutely gutted that we are signing off on giving this ultra RW fascist a joint session address to further empower him

I am at wit's end.

[flying_wahini]

10. Go say over and over, Bernie until they start listening to you.

Wish we had others speaking up.

[Dave Bowman]

11. Totally agree. nt

[Nanjeanne]

12. Thank you Senator Sanders.

[LudwigPastorius]

13. Careful, Bernie.

Some people are bound to call you an antisemite.

[TBF]

14. 100% agree with you Bernie, as usual. K&R nt

[leftstreet]

15. DURec

[NBachers]

16. I can see the republicans engineering an "unfortunate incident" with Bibi and using it to make Biden look bad. I think

his visit is a very bad idea.

[EX500rider]

17. "Israel does not have the right to kill more than 34,000 civilians." So in his mind the dead are 100% civilians?

Rather telling IMO

[TomDaisy]

18. even one is too many

[EX500rider]

23. And which recent war was it that had zero civilian dead?

Post-9/11 wars
As of September 2021, an estimated 432,093 civilians have died violent deaths in the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, and Pakistan since 2001. An additional 3.6–3.8 million people may have died indirectly in these war zones, bringing the total death toll to at least 4.5–4.7 million. The wars have also displaced at least 38 million people, which is more than any war since World War II, aside from World War II.

[womanofthehills]

31. Past wars don't make current wars ok

We are all watching the genocide of Gaza on our phones in real time. Hopefully, this will get into the brains of world leaders - we can see it all now.

[Omnipresent]

37. I'm glad you set him straight.

[TomDaisy]

36. Israel has doomed itself for generations with this genocide.

[obamanut2012]

41. What does that have to do with the crisis in Gaza?

One atrocity does not cancel out another. Like love, empathy is not finite. It is not limited.

[John Shaft]

46. That isn't quite the justification you think it is

In fact, it is quite ghoulish and stomach-turning.

[B.See]

19. Well, for one, I don't like the phrasing Israel doesn't

have the right... " I'd rather it have been phrased "Netanyahu doesn't have the right..."

Secondly, Hamas DID attack Israel on October 7, murdered over 1000 people, took over 200 hostages, fired 5,000 rockets into Israel (according to Hamas) and engaged in murder, rape, decapitation and other atrocities against civilians.

So a response was indeed justified, even necessary. But one which, by most reasonable standards, would be considered an equal and measured response.

34,000 civilians or even half as many is certainly beyond the pail, I would think.

[EX500rider]

22. "34,000 civilians or even half as many is certainly beyond the pail, I would think."

Is Israel held to a different standard then the US or other countries?

Post-9/11 wars
As of September 2021, an estimated 432,093 civilians have died violent deaths in the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, and Pakistan since 2001. An additional 3.6–3.8 million people may have died indirectly in these war zones, bringing the total death toll to at least 4.5–4.7 million. The wars have also displaced at least 38 million people, which is more than any war since World War II, aside from World War II.

[B.See]

25. Funny, I don't recall suggesting that it should be

held to standards different from the wars you noted, or for that matter all wars throughout history, since you're bringing that into the discussion.

For the record, I (and, no doubt, a number of others here) believe the false basis for the US' war n Iraq after 9/11 was also reprehensible.

However, re. the war we're talking about, I presume your question is intended as a justification for what's happening in Gaza, and for continued escalation?

[EX500rider]

26. My point is the IDF is causing no more civilian casualties then the US in recent wars

See:
Persian Gulf War and Iraq War

[B.See]

28. So again, are you justifying Netanyahu's actions in Gaza

because  he "is causing no more civilian casualties then (sic) the US in recent wars"?

[EX500rider]

30. I'm saying fighting non-uniformed opponents in urban environments is not easy

And I don't recall the US being accused of genocide

[B.See]

33. Okay. You're entitled to that kind of rationalization of Netanyahu's actions I guess.

But his defenders might want to consider the possibility that his actions may do a disservice to Israel as a whole if those actions cause the world to see him as the aggressor instead of the defender.

And some would say there is already evidence of his being more of the former.

In that regard, he and Hamas are pretty much the same... IMO, in that neither really wants peace.

[womanofthehills]

32. As horrible as Oct 7 was, Israel's newspapers

Say there were no beheaded babies, no babies in ovens, no real proof of rape (NYT article on woman raped - family says it was a lie) and still Netanyahu spoke a few days ago of babies in ovens (discredited by Israeli press)

Thousands of babies & children who didn’t die are living with burns and amputations. Over 70,000 injuries. And now we are starving these kids too.

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[B.See]

34. Yes, I'm aware of the discrepancies in what was reported which

it's why I didn't go into details as to the particulars. Suffice it to say, there were sufficient actions on Oct.7 to prompt a response. Just as there were a series of actions prior to Oct. 7 that prompted that. All of which comprises a long and unfortunate history of acts of aggression, led by certain factions on both sides, hell-bent on NOT giving peace a chance.

Question being: WHEN DO WE START?

[BannonsLiver]

35. So the anti Israel crowd dismisses everything that happened on 10/7 as fictional

But believe without question everything Hamas says. And then they wonder why they’re accused of antisemitism. 🙄🤷‍♂️

[Omnipresent]

38. Is any criticism of bibi's right wing government, considered antisemitism?

It’s seems that being in disagreement, results in being called an antisemite.

[BannonsLiver]

42. I'm sorry you feel that way.

[Omnipresent]

43. Can you answer my question?

[BannonsLiver]

44. I think most are antisemites

Hope that clears it up for you!

[ecstatic]

20. I agree with Sanders. The mistakes are not mistakes.

He is slaughtering innocents on purpose.

Why the fuck is he coming here? He is obviously trying to cost us the election! There's no reason why he should be addressing anyone in this country. He got all the funding he wanted. All the weapons he wanted. And he's been allowed to kill with impunity with no consequences. The traitorous and lawless magats are his base now. DO NOT LET HIM COME HERE!

[B.See]

29. Bibi only comes calling when he wants something. Like he did

when he snubbed Obama and spoke before Congress via a GOP invite.

His mission is to play Democrats against the MAGAs to get what he wants, after which he'll help cost Biden the election so his good buddy Trump can take over and give him the green light to "end the Palestinians" like Trump and company has said.

And I suspect no one knows this better than Bernie.

[Omnipresent]

45. I have to tell you..

I’m not happy with Bibi acting like the Governor of some 51st. State.
If israel gets free money from the US, they need to open up more access routes to help the suffering people in Gaza.

[David__77]

21. Insane that Netanyahu has been invited. I hope he receives a fitting (unwelcoming) welcome.

[pecosbob]

24. I call on all progressives in Congress to follow suit.

[JohnSJ]

27. That is fine. Sanders also has endorsed President Biden, and encouraged his supporters

to vote for Biden in November.

My question is, will his supporters vote for Biden in November, or do what they did in 2000 and 2016?

Not voting, or voting third party is a vote for Trump and the end of our Democracy, which is already on its last legs thanks to the Supreme Court that resulted from those progressives who refused to vote for Hillary, or voted third party.

[Oopsie Daisy]

39. This reminder needs to be repeated as often as possible. It was Sarandon (and "others"✴️) who sabotaged Hillary ✳️

✳️ we cannot let this be forgotten. I see it happening again.


✴️ gadflies, politicians, pundits, youtubers, et al ... they know who they are. I'll bet you do too.

[obamanut2012]

40. Thank you, Senator Sanders