US Senator demands conditions for aid to Israel
US Senator for Vermont Bernie Sanders has stated that aid to Israel should be contingent upon a change in that country's "political and military" position.
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US Senator Sanders issued a written statement on the matter.
Stating that Israel has the right to defend itself, Sanders said, "However, (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's far-right government does not have the right to wage total war against the Palestinian people."
EMPHASIS ON CHANGE IN POLITICAL AND MILITARY POSITION
Sanders emphasized that the displacement of 1.6 million people, the deprivation of food, water, medicine, and fuel, and the killing of 12 thousand people are violations of both international law and "humanity," and that this must stop.
Reminding that the US provides 3.8 billion dollars in aid to Israel annually and that the (US President Joe) Biden administration has requested an additional 14.3 billion in aid, Sanders stated, "Netanyahu or a new Israeli government must understand that not a single penny will be sent from the US to Israel without a change in political and military position."
THE SENATOR'S CONDITIONS
Sanders expressed the conditions as follows:
"Ending indiscriminate bombing of civilians, long pauses in fighting to allow humanitarian aid into the region, guaranteeing the right of the people of Gaza to return to their homes, preventing Israel from re-occupying or blockading Gaza, ending settler violence in the West Bank and preventing expansion, and initiating peace negotiations."