THE ELECTRONIC INTIFADA
Defying establishment, Bernie Sanders defends humanity of Palestinians
Rania Khalek Power Suits 15 April 2016
During Thursday night's Democratic presidential debate, Vermont senator
Bernie Sanders did something that no major candidate in recent memory has
dared to do.
Defying the bipartisan pro-Israel consensus that dominates American
politics, Sanders forcefully defended the humanity of Palestinians and
delivered perhaps the most blistering indictment against Israel's right-wing
government ever uttered by a US senator.
And he did so in front of a New York audience, with millions more watching
on CNN, just days ahead of a heated primary race in a state where Jewish
voters are expected to make up 16 to 19 percent of the electorate.
It was a stunning response from a candidate who just two summers ago had
angrily shouted down his constituents who supported Palestinian rights at a
Vermont town hall, where he defended Israel's 2014 military assault on the
besieged Gaza Strip.
And it was a huge risk. Though Sanders is the first Jewish candidate in US
history to win a single primary state, Jewish voters aren't feeling the
bern.
According to an NBC 4 New York/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll, Clinton is
leading among Jews in New York with 65 percent support to Sanders' 32
percent.
While the relative lack of Jewish enthusiasm for Sanders isn't necessarily
related to his position on Israel, his performance last night likely
alienated some in this crucial voting bloc even more. In other words,
Sanders had little to gain from saying what he said when he said it.
If anything, it was a demonstration of his more principled commitment to
equality, a trait his opponent, notorious for shifting her positions with
the political winds, clearly lacks.
"Respect and dignity"
During the national security portion of the debate, moderator Wolf Blitzer
asked Sanders, "What do you say to those who believe that Israel has a right
to defend itself as it sees fit?"
Despite coming under heavy attack for calling Israel's 2014 military assault
on Gaza "disproportionate," Sanders stood by his comments on the debate
stage.
"Israel was subjected to terrorist attacks, has every right in the world to
destroy terrorism. But we had in the Gaza area - not a very large area -
some 10,000 civilians who were wounded and some 1,500 who were killed,"
Sanders replied.
"If you're asking not just me, but countries all over the world, 'was that a
disproportionate attack,' the answer is that I believe it was," added
Sanders, to an eruption of cheers from the audience.
"If we are ever going to bring peace to that region which has seen so much
hatred and so much war, we are going to have to treat the Palestinian people
with respect and dignity," he continued, prompting another round of roaring
applause.
Describing Gaza as "decimated," Sanders urged "the United States and the
rest of the world" to "work together to help the Palestinian people."
"That does not make me anti-Israel," he argued. "That paves the way, I think
to an approach that works in the Middle East."
Hillary echoes her donor
Asked whether she agreed with Sanders that Israel's response was
disproportionate, Clinton recited her usual pro-Israel talking points,
insisting that Israel is "under constant threat" of terrorism with "rockets
raining down on their towns and villages."
She accused Hamas of "constant incitement . aided and abetted by Iran" and
promoted the long-debunked myth of Palestinians turning down Israel's
generous offer at the 2000 Camp David summit convened by her husband
President Bill Clinton.
When Sanders called her out for evading the question, Clinton proclaimed
that "even the most independent analyst will say" that Hamas disguises "its
fighters in civilian garb" and fires from civilian areas.
There is absolutely no evidence to support Clinton's repeated assertion that
Palestinian fighters dress in civilian clothing to inflate the civilian
death toll, certainly not from any independent analyst.
It's a complete fabrication designed to justify mass killing in Gaza, which
Clinton referred to as "a terrorist haven."
There is, however, a long and documented history of Palestinians being used
as human shields, but by Israel not Hamas.
And there are mountains of evidence, including the report from the UN Human
Rights Council's independent commission of inquiry, headed by a former New
York State Supreme Court justice, documenting Israeli crimes in Gaza.
But facts matter little when your campaign is dependent on moneyed
interests.
Clinton was simply echoing the views of her billionaire mega-donor Haim
Saban, who freely admits that his number one priority is to influence US
foreign policy in Israel's favor by donating to politicians, establishing
think tanks and buying up media outlets.
Saban has poured over $6 million into efforts to get Clinton elected
president.
Sanders shot back, criticizing Clinton's hawkish speech to the powerful
Israel lobby group AIPAC last month.
"I heard virtually no discussion at all about the needs of the Palestinian
people. Almost none in that speech," said Sanders, putting Clinton on the
defensive.
"There comes a time when if we pursue justice and peace, we are going to
have to say that Netanyahu is not right all of the time," he proclaimed. "We
cannot continue to be one-sided. There are two sides to the issue."
Clinton, by contrast, has vowed to make cozying up to Netanyahu one of her
top priorities as president.
Uphill battle
The evolution in Sanders' rhetoric is a testament to the hard work of the
Palestine solidarity movement in mainstreaming justice for Palestinians
among progressives.
While Sanders' position on Israel is hardly revolutionary, he is trying to
reflect a stance more closely in line with his overwhelmingly youthful base.
His forceful challenge to Clinton over support for Israel signals a serious
departure from the narrow constraints of what establishment orthodoxy
permits. It potentially creates space for other American politicians to
speak out against Israel's criminal behavior.
Sanders represents the future of liberal politics in America.
Israel's hardline supporters recognize the danger these shifting dynamics
pose to their agenda, which is why they've declared war on Sanders.
Most recently, they targeted his newly appointed director of Jewish
outreach, Simone Zimmerman.
Zimmerman is a co-founder of If Not Now, a protest group formed in the wake
of Israel's 2014 war on Gaza by young Jews angered by the hawkish support
shown for the onslaught by mainstream American Jewish institutions.
Though she identifies as non-Zionist, Zimmerman has been vocal in her
criticism of Israel's abuses of Palestinians and rejects attempts to
obstruct the Palestinian-led movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions.
Her appointment provoked a torrent of attacks from Israel's hardline
supporters.
The neoconservative Washington Free Beacon attacked Zimmerman over an
expletive-laden Facebook post written a year ago, in which she called
Netanyahu "an arrogant, deceptive, cynical, manipulative asshole" and "the
embodiment of the ugliest national hubris and tone-deafness towards the
international community."
Zimmerman excoriated Netanyahu for "daring to insist that you legitimately
represent even a fraction of the Jews in this world" and for attempting to
undermine the international nuclear agreement with Iran in order to
"distract the world from the fact that you sanctioned the murder of over
2,000 people this summer [and] that a brutal military occupation of millions
more continues under your watch."
She posted the comment ahead of Netanyahu's controversial address to
Congress railing against Obama's nuclear deal.
Abe Foxman, the former head of the Anti-Defamation League, demanded that
Sanders fire Zimmerman.
"No amount of word changes can cure her ugly characterization of the prime
minister of Israel and the Israeli army and people defending themselves," he
told the Jewish Insider.
He was joined by Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
Unfortunately, just hours before last night's debate, Sanders suspended
Zimmerman, essentially capitulating to right-wing pressure.
That was a reminder that despite the change in tone from Sanders, the uphill
battle against the highly effective pro-Israel machine is far from over.
As Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace, put it
in an emailed statement, last night's debate "showed that the movement for
Palestinian rights is shifting the discourse at the highest political
levels. However, there is still a long way to go before we see our political
leaders take courageous steps not just to recognize the humanity of
Palestinians but to take action to secure their rights."
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Defying establishment, Bernie Sanders defends humanity of Palestinians
Rania Khalek Power Suits 15 April 2016
During Thursday night's Democratic presidential debate, Vermont senator
Bernie Sanders did something that no major candidate in recent memory has
dared to do.
Defying the bipartisan pro-Israel consensus that dominates American
politics, Sanders forcefully defended the humanity of Palestinians and
delivered perhaps the most blistering indictment against Israel's right-wing
government ever uttered by a US senator.
And he did so in front of a New York audience, with millions more watching
on CNN, just days ahead of a heated primary race in a state where Jewish
voters are expected to make up 16 to 19 percent of the electorate.
It was a stunning response from a candidate who just two summers ago had
angrily shouted down his constituents who supported Palestinian rights at a
Vermont town hall, where he defended Israel's 2014 military assault on the
besieged Gaza Strip.
And it was a huge risk. Though Sanders is the first Jewish candidate in US
history to win a single primary state, Jewish voters aren't feeling the
bern.
According to an NBC 4 New York/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll, Clinton is
leading among Jews in New York with 65 percent support to Sanders' 32
percent.
While the relative lack of Jewish enthusiasm for Sanders isn't necessarily
related to his position on Israel, his performance last night likely
alienated some in this crucial voting bloc even more. In other words,
Sanders had little to gain from saying what he said when he said it.
If anything, it was a demonstration of his more principled commitment to
equality, a trait his opponent, notorious for shifting her positions with
the political winds, clearly lacks.
"Respect and dignity"
During the national security portion of the debate, moderator Wolf Blitzer
asked Sanders, "What do you say to those who believe that Israel has a right
to defend itself as it sees fit?"
Despite coming under heavy attack for calling Israel's 2014 military assault
on Gaza "disproportionate," Sanders stood by his comments on the debate
stage.
"Israel was subjected to terrorist attacks, has every right in the world to
destroy terrorism. But we had in the Gaza area - not a very large area -
some 10,000 civilians who were wounded and some 1,500 who were killed,"
Sanders replied.
"If you're asking not just me, but countries all over the world, 'was that a
disproportionate attack,' the answer is that I believe it was," added
Sanders, to an eruption of cheers from the audience.
"If we are ever going to bring peace to that region which has seen so much
hatred and so much war, we are going to have to treat the Palestinian people
with respect and dignity," he continued, prompting another round of roaring
applause.
Describing Gaza as "decimated," Sanders urged "the United States and the
rest of the world" to "work together to help the Palestinian people."
"That does not make me anti-Israel," he argued. "That paves the way, I think
to an approach that works in the Middle East."
Hillary echoes her donor
Asked whether she agreed with Sanders that Israel's response was
disproportionate, Clinton recited her usual pro-Israel talking points,
insisting that Israel is "under constant threat" of terrorism with "rockets
raining down on their towns and villages."
She accused Hamas of "constant incitement . aided and abetted by Iran" and
promoted the long-debunked myth of Palestinians turning down Israel's
generous offer at the 2000 Camp David summit convened by her husband
President Bill Clinton.
When Sanders called her out for evading the question, Clinton proclaimed
that "even the most independent analyst will say" that Hamas disguises "its
fighters in civilian garb" and fires from civilian areas.
There is absolutely no evidence to support Clinton's repeated assertion that
Palestinian fighters dress in civilian clothing to inflate the civilian
death toll, certainly not from any independent analyst.
It's a complete fabrication designed to justify mass killing in Gaza, which
Clinton referred to as "a terrorist haven."
There is, however, a long and documented history of Palestinians being used
as human shields, but by Israel not Hamas.
And there are mountains of evidence, including the report from the UN Human
Rights Council's independent commission of inquiry, headed by a former New
York State Supreme Court justice, documenting Israeli crimes in Gaza.
But facts matter little when your campaign is dependent on moneyed
interests.
Clinton was simply echoing the views of her billionaire mega-donor Haim
Saban, who freely admits that his number one priority is to influence US
foreign policy in Israel's favor by donating to politicians, establishing
think tanks and buying up media outlets.
Saban has poured over $6 million into efforts to get Clinton elected
president.
Sanders shot back, criticizing Clinton's hawkish speech to the powerful
Israel lobby group AIPAC last month.
"I heard virtually no discussion at all about the needs of the Palestinian
people. Almost none in that speech," said Sanders, putting Clinton on the
defensive.
"There comes a time when if we pursue justice and peace, we are going to
have to say that Netanyahu is not right all of the time," he proclaimed. "We
cannot continue to be one-sided. There are two sides to the issue."
Clinton, by contrast, has vowed to make cozying up to Netanyahu one of her
top priorities as president.
Uphill battle
The evolution in Sanders' rhetoric is a testament to the hard work of the
Palestine solidarity movement in mainstreaming justice for Palestinians
among progressives.
While Sanders' position on Israel is hardly revolutionary, he is trying to
reflect a stance more closely in line with his overwhelmingly youthful base.
His forceful challenge to Clinton over support for Israel signals a serious
departure from the narrow constraints of what establishment orthodoxy
permits. It potentially creates space for other American politicians to
speak out against Israel's criminal behavior.
Sanders represents the future of liberal politics in America.
Israel's hardline supporters recognize the danger these shifting dynamics
pose to their agenda, which is why they've declared war on Sanders.
Most recently, they targeted his newly appointed director of Jewish
outreach, Simone Zimmerman.
Zimmerman is a co-founder of If Not Now, a protest group formed in the wake
of Israel's 2014 war on Gaza by young Jews angered by the hawkish support
shown for the onslaught by mainstream American Jewish institutions.
Though she identifies as non-Zionist, Zimmerman has been vocal in her
criticism of Israel's abuses of Palestinians and rejects attempts to
obstruct the Palestinian-led movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions.
Her appointment provoked a torrent of attacks from Israel's hardline
supporters.
The neoconservative Washington Free Beacon attacked Zimmerman over an
expletive-laden Facebook post written a year ago, in which she called
Netanyahu "an arrogant, deceptive, cynical, manipulative asshole" and "the
embodiment of the ugliest national hubris and tone-deafness towards the
international community."
Zimmerman excoriated Netanyahu for "daring to insist that you legitimately
represent even a fraction of the Jews in this world" and for attempting to
undermine the international nuclear agreement with Iran in order to
"distract the world from the fact that you sanctioned the murder of over
2,000 people this summer [and] that a brutal military occupation of millions
more continues under your watch."
She posted the comment ahead of Netanyahu's controversial address to
Congress railing against Obama's nuclear deal.
Abe Foxman, the former head of the Anti-Defamation League, demanded that
Sanders fire Zimmerman.
"No amount of word changes can cure her ugly characterization of the prime
minister of Israel and the Israeli army and people defending themselves," he
told the Jewish Insider.
He was joined by Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
Unfortunately, just hours before last night's debate, Sanders suspended
Zimmerman, essentially capitulating to right-wing pressure.
That was a reminder that despite the change in tone from Sanders, the uphill
battle against the highly effective pro-Israel machine is far from over.
As Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace, put it
in an emailed statement, last night's debate "showed that the movement for
Palestinian rights is shifting the discourse at the highest political
levels. However, there is still a long way to go before we see our political
leaders take courageous steps not just to recognize the humanity of
Palestinians but to take action to secure their rights."
