Bernie: "In my view, the state of Israel has the absolute right to defend itself"
Full message below:
There have been five wars fought between Israel and its neighbors in the last fifteen years. Over that time, and before, there have been thousands of diplomats from around the world working on a variety of plans to bring peace and stability to the region, and hundreds of conferences. They have all failed.
Today, the situation in the area is more horrific, more brutal, more inhumane, and more dangerous than ever before. I wish I could tell you that I had some magic solution, or five-point plan to resolve this never-ending crisis. I don’t. But this I do know.
The barbarous terrorist act committed by Hamas against innocent men, women, and children in Israel was a horrific act that must be strongly condemned by the entire world. There is absolutely no justification for shooting down hundreds of young people at a music festival, killing babies in cold blood and taking hostages. In my view, the state of Israel has the absolute right to defend itself against Hamas' terrorism.
It is also clear that this attack will only embolden the extremists on both sides who see violence as the only answer. It also creates the immediate possibility of a wider war in the area with unforeseen and dangerous consequences.
But in the midst of the terrorism, the missiles and bombs being exploded daily, and a hospital in Gaza being destroyed, there is another humanitarian disaster that is unfolding. Today, as a result of an Israeli evacuation order, hundreds of thousands of innocent and desperate people in Gaza are facing inhumane and life-threatening conditions. These are people who have been driven from their homes, who have no food, water, or fuel, who don’t know where they are going or who will accept them or if they will ever again return to their homes. And I would remind you that half of those people are children.
Last night, on the floor of the Senate, I blocked an effort on the part of some Republicans to prevent desperately needed humanitarian aid from the United Nations and other relief agencies from getting to these Palestinians.
In these very difficult times, we cannot turn our backs on these innocent men, women and children who are desperately trying to survive. That is not what this country must ever be about.
incessantly whines about how imperial periphery countries are just as responsible for pollution as imperial core countries, even though the imperial core countries industrialized way earlier in history, accumulated capital, and then outsources all their pollution-generating industrial activities to the periphery in demand for cheap labor and cheap commodities
Carefully chosen words to make sure he didn't describe active violence from Israelis against Palestinians. The Palestinians were terrorists, but bombs and explosions and destruction and lack of water/power/medical supplies just happened in Gaza.
Fuck off Bernard. How fucking dare he. That's fine if you demand Palestinian blood sacrifice like every other people in power in DC, but have the decency of not steal the language of our collective struggle on top.
the state of Israel has the absolute right to defend itself against Hamas' terrorism
Contrasted with
missiles and bombs being exploded daily
there is another humanitarian disaster that is unfolding
people who have been driven from their homes
Using this same duplicitous language as media - Palestine (the powerless side with literally no other options) shoulders all the agency and blame for killing Israelis, and Palestinian civilians are just, y'know, suffering a coincidental disaster. All the IDF are doing is giving evacuation orders! Never mind the explicit, deliberate, internationally recognised war crimes they're committing on a daily basis.
Bernie couldn't even this shit? He went full explicit support for Israel. Truly awful.
Last night, on the floor of the Senate, I blocked an effort on the part of some Republicans to prevent desperately needed humanitarian aid from the United Nations and other relief agencies from getting to these Palestinians.
In these very difficult times, we cannot turn our backs on these innocent men, women and children who are desperately trying to survive. That is not what this country must ever be about.
Watch the video clip here, remember that this happened in 2014.
I saw it during his first presidential campaign run and it stunned me, but I didn’t say anything at the time because back then we all wanted him to win. Looking back now it had been so obvious all along.
But in the midst of the terrorism, the missiles and bombs being exploded daily, and a hospital in Gaza being destroyed, there is another humanitarian disaster that is unfolding.
Such wishy-washy ambiguous bullshit. He starts the statement by clearly attributing the "terrorist" attack to Hamas, but doesn't bring himself to say that Israeli is indiscriminately bombing Gaza. Instead the missiles and bomb just "explode".
Who's firing missiles and dropping bombs on Gaza, Bernie? Are they just falling out of the sky?
Today, as a result of an Israeli evacuation order, hundreds of thousands of innocent and desperate people in Gaza are facing inhumane and life-threatening conditions. These are people who have been driven from their homes, who have no food, water, or fuel, who don’t know where they are going or who will accept them or if they will ever again return to their homes. And I would remind you that half of those people are children.
Then he talks about Israeli's insidious evacuation order as if it's the cause of the food and water shortage for just those that evacuated. Bernie, again, who said they weren't going to allow food supply into Gaza and shut off their power and water as well? Did these thing just disappear? Is it just the evacuees who don't have these basic necessities as his statement implies?
"There have been five wars fought between Israel and its neighbors in the last fifteen years."
Maybe... They're the problem? Maybe they should ask themselves why the surrounding countries (and the country they're surrounding) wants them gone?