U.S. Giving Netanyahu ‘Another $10 Billion’ Is ‘Irresponsible’

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) mentioned Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that the United States approving extra support to Israel for battle with Hamas could be “irresponsible.”

Partial transcript as follows:

MARGARET BRENNAN: Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned that he sees a spot between Israel’s acknowledged intent of limiting civilian casualties in actuality, and the Secretary of Defense mentioned they may face a strategic defeat, given civilian casualties. Is this vocal sufficient criticism from the administration, in your perspective?

SANDERS: Well, it’s a start- I feel each Blinken and Austin are proper. What the President is making an attempt to do is making an attempt to clarify to Netanyahu and his right-wing extremely- extremists authorities is sure, you may go to battle in opposition to Hamas, however you can not go to battle in opposition to the Palestinian individuals, and trigger the horrific injury to human life that we’re seeing proper now. Margaret, there have been 16,000 individuals killed up to now. Palestinians, two thirds of whom are girls and kids. You’re speaking about 1.9 million individuals displaced, going round with none water, meals. Without any medical provides. It is a humanitarian catastrophe. And the United States has acquired to place the entire strain that it may to inform Netanyahu to cease this disastrous army strategy.

BRENNAN: And simply to be clear, Israel says it’s killed 7,000 militants, they haven’t defined what number of civilians they estimate they’ve killed. The US says they’ll’t- can’t tally it. The quantity you cited there’s from the Gaza Ministry of Health. But the underside line right here is I do know you could have been very clear to your colleagues, the US shouldn’t present extra support to Israel, to the Netanyahu authorities with no strings connected, you wrote, as a result of it could make the US complicit. You mentioned “in an all out war against innocent men, women and children who have nothing to do with Hamas.” What do you imagine the Netanyahu authorities’s intent is right here?

SANDERS: Hard to say. It actually is tough to say. It could also be that they’re responding in rage in opposition to the horrific and horrible Hamas assaults that killed 1,200 Innocent Israelis. Maybe in a number of the right-wing extremists minds, there’s the purpose to drive the Palestinian individuals off of Gaza fully. But they’ve now destroyed about half of the housing items in Gaza. So it’s arduous to foretell. But I feel when General Austin mentioned you may win the battle however lose the battle. Israel is shedding the battle when it comes to how the world is this example. And I feel that it could be irresponsible for the United States to present Netanyahu one other $10 billion to proceed to wage this terrible battle.

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN