From the Liveblog of
Sunday, November 5, 2023
Bernie Sanders rejects calls for ceasefire: Hamas dedicated to destroying Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US Senator Bernie Sanders rejects calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, breaking from a growing group of progressive lawmakers who have been leading such a call in recent weeks.
“I don’t know how you can have a ceasefire… with an organization like Hamas, which is dedicated to turmoil and chaos and destroying the State of Israel,” he tells CNN.
“I think what the Arab countries in the region understand is that Hamas has got to go,” he adds.
Sanders is one of Israel’s loudest critics in Congress, calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government racist and regularly blasting its policies vis-à-vis the Palestinians.
But his comments to CNN are being tweeted by several Israeli officials, ostensibly seeking to demonstrate the widespread political opposition in the US to calls for a ceasefire.
Senator @BernieSanders:
“Well, I don't know how you can have a ceasefire… with an organization like Hamas, which is dedicated to turmoil and chaos and destroying the State of Israel. And I think what the Arab countries in the region understand is that Hamas has got to go.” pic.twitter.com/oGMGdkNpqx
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) November 5, 2023
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