International News Opinons Politics

Bernie Sanders Goes to War Against Pro-Israel AIPAC, Accuses It of ‘Bigotry’

Linda Sarsour, center and Cornel West, right, listen as Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks in a roundtable discussion at the First Unitarian Congregational Society, Saturday, April 16, 2016, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

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:


Slack messages released by Rand Paul appear to show authors of key COVID-19 origin paper held private doubts
WATCH: Smithsonian director pressed on woke exhibits: ‘Is Mickey Mouse racist?’
FBI Director Kash Patel to Make Rare Trip to Russia: Report
Todd Blanche faces lingering GOP holdouts for attorney general post over ‘anti-weaponization fund’
Zelensky sacks Ukrainian Commander in Chief Syrsky in major military shake-up
Louisiana Democrat Cleo Fields abandons reelection bid for House seat
ICE Deports Alleged Cartel Hit Man Living in Texas, Was Wanted for Murder in Mexico
Woman attacked by brown bear while hiking with friend and 3 dogs near Alaska state park
Sharpton offers $50K for Nolan Wells case arrest with lawyer to release autopsy at NAACP
New York City Man Charged After He Allegedly Celebrated Knicks’ NBA Championship by Burning a School Bus
Top Virginia Dem dinged for on-air correction of state’s voter ID law; opponent demands answers
Poll: Roughly Half of Americans Say Supreme Court Rules on Trump Cases Purely on Personal Ideology
Newsom admin faces questions over $6.2M diaper contract after touting ‘competitive’ process
WATCH: Pelosi dodges questions on husband’s new hit-and-run charge
Top Trump official makes new SAVE Act case to Republicans behind closed doors

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.


Slack messages released by Rand Paul appear to show authors of key COVID-19 origin paper held private doubts
WATCH: Smithsonian director pressed on woke exhibits: ‘Is Mickey Mouse racist?’
FBI Director Kash Patel to Make Rare Trip to Russia: Report
Todd Blanche faces lingering GOP holdouts for attorney general post over ‘anti-weaponization fund’
Zelensky sacks Ukrainian Commander in Chief Syrsky in major military shake-up
Louisiana Democrat Cleo Fields abandons reelection bid for House seat
ICE Deports Alleged Cartel Hit Man Living in Texas, Was Wanted for Murder in Mexico
Woman attacked by brown bear while hiking with friend and 3 dogs near Alaska state park
Sharpton offers $50K for Nolan Wells case arrest with lawyer to release autopsy at NAACP
New York City Man Charged After He Allegedly Celebrated Knicks’ NBA Championship by Burning a School Bus
Top Virginia Dem dinged for on-air correction of state’s voter ID law; opponent demands answers
Poll: Roughly Half of Americans Say Supreme Court Rules on Trump Cases Purely on Personal Ideology
Newsom admin faces questions over $6.2M diaper contract after touting ‘competitive’ process
WATCH: Pelosi dodges questions on husband’s new hit-and-run charge
Top Trump official makes new SAVE Act case to Republicans behind closed doors

By 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.

See also  Five dead after group attempts to save struggling swimmer in Ohio

Story cited here.

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter