Sanders Is First Senator to Call Gaza a Genocide

Sen. Bernie Sanders publicly labeled Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide this week, making him the first sitting US senator to use the term in reference to the ongoing conflict. In a statement, Sanders said the evidence is "inescapable," referencing a recent UN commission report that found Israel's actions meet the criteria for genocide under international law, per the Guardian. "I agree," Sanders wrote. "It is genocide. The intent is clear." The Vermont senator cited casualty data indicating that at least 65,000 Palestinians have been killed and 164,000 wounded in Gaza, with Israeli military sources estimating that 83% of those killed were civilians.

Sanders also pointed to incendiary remarks by Israeli officials. While acknowledging Israel's right to respond to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, Sanders argued the scale and scope of the military campaign means "an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people." Sanders, one of just 10 or so Jewish senators in Congress, was previously hesitant to use the word "genocide." In July, for instance, he said during a CNN interview that genocide was a "legal term," and that defining what was going on in Gaza was less important than stopping it, per the Washington Post.

However, Sanders now says the current situation and mounting evidence left him no choice. "We, as Americans, must end our complicity in the slaughter of the Palestinian people," he wrote. "Having named it a genocide, we must use every ounce of our leverage to demand an immediate ceasefire, a massive surge of humanitarian aid facilitated by the UN, and initial steps to provide Palestinians with a state of their own." Sanders, who also wants the US to end its military support for Israel, joins a growing list of lawmakers, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Becca Balint, who've also used the term.

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The UN report and Sanders' remarks come as several countries prepare to recognize Palestinian statehood at the upcoming UN General Assembly. Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to back Israel and has increased scrutiny on pro-Palestinian activism domestically. Sanders, who has previously tried to block arms sales to Israel, warned that without accountability for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials, future atrocities are likely at the hands of others.