Senator Bernie Sanders declared on Tuesday that the Israeli government is carrying out genocide in Gaza, describing the assessment as “inescapable” and marking himself as the pioneering US senator to use the designation.
Change in Stance
“Over the last two years, Israel has not simply acted in self-defense against the militant group,” Sanders expressed. “Instead, it has conducted an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people.”
Sanders had previously received backlash from supporters and protesters for avoiding the word, which he once said made him “uncomfortable” when shouted during a speech in the Irish nation.
UN Report and Response
On Monday, an autonomous UN commission of experts concluded that Israel’s measures “meet the standards set forth in the international treaty on genocide”.
“I agree,” Sanders stated in a statement. “The purpose is evident.”
He referenced casualty figures: no fewer than 65,000 Palestinians dead and 164,000 wounded out of a community of 2.2 million, with data from an Israeli military database suggesting that 83% of those deceased were non-combatants.
He also highlighted comments by government figures as proof of motive, quoting security chief Yoav Gallant calling Palestinians “human animals” and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich promising “Gaza will be entirely destroyed”.
Right to Defend vs Appropriateness
While Sanders acknowledged Israel had a right to protect its citizens after the 7 October attack that killed about 1,200 people, he argued the response has targeted all Palestinians in Gaza.
“We, as Americans, must halt our involvement in the killing of the Palestinian people,” he urged. “Having named it as a genocide, we must use all available of our leverage to demand an immediate ceasefire, a significant increase of relief supplies facilitated by the UN, and initial steps to provide Palestinians with a state of their own.”
Expanding Group of Supporters
He now aligns with a limited yet increasing number of congressional representatives including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, as well as Vermont lawmaker Becca Balint, who also called it a crime against humanity earlier in the day.
“Today, I believe the Israeli government is committing a systematic extermination against the Palestinian people,” Balint wrote. “As the granddaughter of a man murdered in the Holocaust, it is not easy for me to say that.”
Earlier Documents and Allegations
Last week, Democratic senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley released a report following their visit to the region, where they say they’ve come to the “inevitable determination” that ethnic cleansing is being perpetrated in Gaza and that the United States is complicit.
International Background
The announcement also comes as multiple countries including Australia, France, Luxembourg, Malta, Canada and the UK plan to acknowledge Palestinian sovereignty at next week’s UN meeting in New York.
However, the Trump administration has supported Israeli actions since coming into office. In March, the White House said Trump “fully supports” Israel’s operations in Gaza, while Trump has suggested the US take control over the territory to help enable Palestinian exodus.
In the US, the administration has at the same time increased efforts to suppress opposition from pro-Palestinian voices, with the foreign ministry issuing broad orders to consulates in March to screen student visas over “extremism”, which encompass social media posts.
Past Attempts and Calls
The senator has previously led Senate efforts to block offensive weapons sales to Israel through joint resolutions of disapproval, and while securing half of Democratic party members in the chamber to support it, the efforts have not succeeded in stopping arms transfers.
Now, the senator called again for ending US military aid to “the Israeli prime minister’s genocidal government” and demanded an immediate ceasefire.
“The very term genocide is a reminder of what can happen if we fail,” Sanders wrote. “That word emerged from the Holocaust – the murder of 6 million Jews – one of the most tragic chapters in human history. Make no mistake. If there is no responsibility for Netanyahu and his associated war criminals, other extremists will do the same.”
