Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is trying to legislate accountability from the participants in the Israel-Hamas war, among whom Sanders counts the United States for its financial and military support of Israel’s retaliation to the 10/7 Hamas terrorist attack against Israelis.
More than 24,000 people have died in Gaza as a result of Israel’s attempt to eradicate Hamas. In addition to the fatalities, the Israeli retaliation has resulted in severe conditions and statewide deprivation for civilians in Gaza, a situation which the U.N. has called a “humanitarian crisis.”
Israel is currently defending its military response in The Hague against a suit brought by South Africa accusing it of the “genocide” of Palestinians, a charge Israel denies.
Demanding accountability for America’s role in the response and its brutal impact on civilians in Gaza, Sanders has introduced a measure in Congress requiring that the State Department produce a report within 30 days examining whether Israel committed human rights violations in its conduct of the war — with the consequence that if the report is not produced, further U.S. funding would be cut off.
“That with American military aid, children are starving to death, is to me,” Sanders said in an interview, “I just don’t know what adjectives I can use. It’s disgraceful. And I think I’m not the only one who feels that.”
The Senate will soon vote on my resolution directing the State Department to report on any human rights violations that may have occurred using U.S. equipment in the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 16, 2024
It should not be controversial to ask how U.S. weapons are used. pic.twitter.com/egtZgBwO5Q
On social media, Sanders wrote of the accountability he’s seeking: “We should all want this information. If you believe the war has been indiscriminate, as I do, then we must ask this question. If you believe Israel has done nothing wrong, then this information should support that belief.”
“It should not be controversial,” Sanders asserts, “to ask how U.S. weapons are used.”
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