Bernie Sanders, first US senator to call Israel's actions in Gaza 'genocide,' Haaretz reports

BEIRUT — "Yes, the war in Gaza is a genocide," Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders posted Wednesday on his X account.

On Monday, an independent United Nations commission of experts released the conclusion of its investigation into Israel's actions in Gaza, stating that they "meet the criteria set out in the Genocide Convention." The senator called the conclusion "inescapable," adding: "Israel is committing genocide in Gaza."

Sanders, who is Jewish himself, writes the Israeli daily Haaretz, recently sponsored two resolutions in the U.S. Senate aimed at blocking arms sales to Israel.

Both resolutions were rejected in July. "Israel did not just defend itself against Hamas, it waged a total war against the Palestinian people," the U.S. senator writes.

On his website,Sanders cites the U.N. investigation's findings, stating he "agrees" with them, and recalls the definition of genocide: "Actions taken with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group."

According to the senator, "Israeli leaders have clearly expressed their genocidal intent" in the enclave, citing Israeli officials who have called for the "total destruction" and "removal from the face of the earth" of Gaza.

More on the famine in Gaza

Genocide in Gaza: Autopsy of a (not quite) shattered taboo

Recalling the death toll, which now stands at 65,000 killed and 164,000 wounded out of a population of just over two million, according to Hamas' Health Ministry, Sanders refers to the "man-made famine" created "as a direct consequence of Israeli policies."

The Vermont senator then calls on Americans to "end" their "complicity in the massacre of Palestinians."

Sanders' statement comes as the Israeli army launched a ground offensive into Gaza City, the enclave's largest city, earlier this week.

Criticizing the Trump administration for its support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "ethnic cleansing policy in Gaza and the West Bank," Sanders also warned of the consequences of such support: "If Netanyahu and his criminal war accomplices are not held to account, other demagogues will do the same."