Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) denounced the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Sunday evening, accusing the pro-Israel organization of promoting “bigotry.”
It was not clear what he meant, and he did not specify any examples of what he was talking about.
Only one Democratic candidate for president — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has since dropped out of the race — attended AIPAC’s annual conference last year, which many observers interpreted as a sign of the anti-Israel drift of the party.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a Sanders surrogate, specifically singled out AIPAC last year when she made the antisemitic claim that members of Congress were being paid off to support Israel.
Sanders posted the following in a Twitter thread on Sunday:
Iran-linked hackers threaten to release new trove of emails stolen from Trump’s inner circle after strikes
Elon Musk’s attacks on Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ have ‘no basis,’ says No 2 House Republican
Suspect in Deadly Idaho Firefighter Ambush Identified: ‘Something Must Have Snapped’
Two Chinese nationals arrested for spying on US Navy personnel and bases
Victim’s Family ‘Beyond Furious’ as Bryan Kohberger Accepts Plea Deal in Idaho Quadruple Murder Case
Trump Threatens Iran in Scathing Post, Demands Thank You for Sparing Supreme Leader ‘A Very Ugly’ Death
4 Senate amendments to Trump megabill that failed — and 1 that passed
Scott Jennings Corrects Anti-Trump Sports Anchor On Air: ‘You Should Watch the News’
Socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani under fire for plan to tax ‘richer and whiter neighborhoods’
DOJ directs US attorneys to seek to revoke citizenship of naturalized Americans over crime
City of Providence partners with activist groups to help illegal immigrants evade ICE capture
Americans at July 4th celebrations warned of lone wolf terrorist threat
Family of victim in Bryan Kohberger case say they were sent into ‘panic mode’ after plea deal
Trump’s achievements embolden him to be even more aggressive
Republicans scrap deal in ‘big, beautiful bill’ to lower restrictions on states’ AI regulations
The Israeli people have the right to live in peace and security. So do the Palestinian people. I remain concerned about the platform AIPAC provides for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights. For that reason I will not attend their conference.
As president, I will support the right of both Israelis and Palestinians and do everything possible to bring peace and security to the region.
AIPAC responded with a tweet and a statement of its own:
Senator Sanders has never attended our conference and that is evident from his outrageous comment. In fact, many of his own Senate and House Democratic colleagues and leaders speak from our platform to the over 18,000 Americans from widely diverse backgrounds — Democrats, Republicans, Jews, Christians, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, progressives, Veterans, students, members of the LGBTQ+ community — who participate in the conference to proclaim their support for the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Iran-linked hackers threaten to release new trove of emails stolen from Trump’s inner circle after strikes
Elon Musk’s attacks on Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ have ‘no basis,’ says No 2 House Republican
Suspect in Deadly Idaho Firefighter Ambush Identified: ‘Something Must Have Snapped’
Two Chinese nationals arrested for spying on US Navy personnel and bases
Victim’s Family ‘Beyond Furious’ as Bryan Kohberger Accepts Plea Deal in Idaho Quadruple Murder Case
Trump Threatens Iran in Scathing Post, Demands Thank You for Sparing Supreme Leader ‘A Very Ugly’ Death
4 Senate amendments to Trump megabill that failed — and 1 that passed
Scott Jennings Corrects Anti-Trump Sports Anchor On Air: ‘You Should Watch the News’
Socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani under fire for plan to tax ‘richer and whiter neighborhoods’
DOJ directs US attorneys to seek to revoke citizenship of naturalized Americans over crime
City of Providence partners with activist groups to help illegal immigrants evade ICE capture
Americans at July 4th celebrations warned of lone wolf terrorist threat
Family of victim in Bryan Kohberger case say they were sent into ‘panic mode’ after plea deal
Trump’s achievements embolden him to be even more aggressive
Republicans scrap deal in ‘big, beautiful bill’ to lower restrictions on states’ AI regulationsBy engaging in such an odious attack on this mainstream, bipartisan American political event, Senator Sanders is insulting his very own colleagues and the millions of Americans who stand with Israel. Truly shameful.
This year’s AIPAC conference is scheduled for the first few days of March.
Story cited here.
