Bernie Sanders isn’t who he portrays himself to be.
Bernie Sanders parades himself as a hip and progressive grandpa. He, however, cannot shake his Zionist roots when it comes to the illegitimate settler State of Israel.
The settler State of Israel is the creation of European, Jewish squatters and their European and U.S. sponsors in 1948, not a fulfillment of bible prophecy as some claim.
The land the Israeli settler State occupies belongs to the Palestinian people.
The people of Palestine are currently involved in a struggle to end that occupation.
The Palestinians, who dare to resist the occupation of their land are labeled as terrorists like many other peoples who resist colonialism.
Bernie Sanders is confronted with choosing between his Zionist views and his young, left-wing voting demographic who are not likely to support the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
His recent statement, to New York Daily News, that exaggerated Palestinian deaths in a recent attack by Israeli forces and asserted that the Israeli military acted “indiscriminately” is one example of his over-compensatory efforts to distance himself from pro-Israel dogma.
It drew criticism from pro-Israeli organizations and individuals.
He also turned down an appearance before The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Birds of a feather?
On the other hand, Sanders undeniably has made a conscious effort to form and maintain ties to Israel, Zionist and pro-Israel advocates.
He claims his months spent in an Israeli Kibbutz in 1963 influenced his “socialist” values but it is just as likely that this time in Israel—where he met his wife––influenced his views on the illegitimate occupation.
University of Vermont Professor of Jewish Philosophy and well known Zionist Richard Sugarman is considered his best friend.
Sanders was asked directly about the legitimacy of Israel as a State by Vox.com’s Ezra Klein. He stated to Klein, “Do I think Israel has the right to exist? Yeah, I do. Do I believe that the United States should be playing an even-handed role in its dealings with the Palestinian community and Israel? Yes.”
He made statements to MSNBC in March implicating anti-Semitism as a driving force behind the global boycotts, divestments and sanctions against Israel.
Bernie Sanders’ approach to the occupation of Palestine and the oppression of the Palestinian people is the same as that of his position on the oppression of Africans in the U.S.
He claims neutrality.
He claims that the Palestinian struggle can be dealt with by simply playing fairly without undoing the State of Israel.
This is no different than his promises to end the struggle of African people without reparations. There is no such thing as fairness and neutrality and being on both sides of the question.
It was never fair to take the land and homes of a people in the first place. There is no such thing as neutrality in matters of right and wrong.
Bernie Sanders is wrong. The illegitimate State of Israel does not have the right to exist at the expense of the Palestinian people’s right to their own land and lives.
Don’t be confused by the wordplay. Sanders is a Zionist and an enemy to the oppressed people of Palestine. Bernie Sanders is an enemy to oppressed people anywhere.
Uhuru in this lifetime!
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