{"id":1290658,"date":"2023-10-24T20:05:37","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T20:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/?p=448839"},"modified":"2023-10-24T20:05:37","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T20:05:37","slug":"nearly-300-bernie-sanders-alumni-call-on-senator-to-back-a-ceasefire-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2023\/10\/24\/nearly-300-bernie-sanders-alumni-call-on-senator-to-back-a-ceasefire-in-gaza\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 300 Bernie Sanders Alumni Call On Senator to Back a Ceasefire in Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span class=\"has-underline\">Nearly 300 alumni<\/span> of the presidential campaigns of Bernie Sanders are urging the Vermont senator to join calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a letter <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@formerberniestaff\/open-letter-to-senator-bernie-sanders-9d1c10d99e99\">sent Tuesday<\/a>, former staffers asked Sanders to introduce a Senate-side companion to the \u201cceasefire now\u201d resolution in the House; support an end to U.S. funding \u201cfor war crimes against the Palestinian people, the expansion of settlements, and the occupation of Palestinian lands\u201d; and to support an end to the blockade of Gaza. The House ceasefire resolution \u2014 led by Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Andr\u00e9 Carson, D-Ind.; Summer Lee, D-Pa.; and Delia Ramirez, D-Ill. \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2023\/10\/20\/gaza-ceasefire-house-democrats-aipac\/\">now has<\/a> 18 members supporting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPresident Biden clearly values your counsel, as is shown by the ways you\u2019ve managed to shape the outcomes of his presidency,\u201d the staffers wrote. \u201cWe urge you to make it clear what is at stake in this crisis politically, morally, and strategically.\u201d The group also <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ryangrim\/status\/1716905767109042640?s=20\">produced a video<\/a> appealing directly to Sanders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<!-- BLOCK(oembed)[3](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22OEMBED%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22EMBED%22%7D)(%7B%22embedHtml%22%3A%22%3Cblockquote%20class%3D%5C%22twitter-tweet%5C%22%20data-width%3D%5C%22550%5C%22%20data-dnt%3D%5C%22true%5C%22%3E%3Cp%20lang%3D%5C%22en%5C%22%20dir%3D%5C%22ltr%5C%22%3E290%20Former%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2FBernieSanders%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3E%40BernieSanders%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%20Staffers%20Are%20Urging%20The%20Senator%20To%20Sponsor%20A%20%26quot%3BCeasefire%20Now%26quot%3B%20Senate%20Resolution%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EStory%20to%20follow.%20Watch%20their%20video%20message%20to%20Sanders%3A%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ft.co%5C%2FfnV0DONhbp%5C%22%3Epic.twitter.com%5C%2FfnV0DONhbp%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3C%5C%2Fp%3E%26mdash%3B%20Ryan%20Grim%20%28%40ryangrim%29%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2Fryangrim%5C%2Fstatus%5C%2F1716905767109042640%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3EOctober%2024%2C%202023%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3C%5C%2Fblockquote%3E%3Cscript%20async%20src%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fplatform.twitter.com%5C%2Fwidgets.js%5C%22%20charset%3D%5C%22utf-8%5C%22%3E%3C%5C%2Fscript%3E%22%2C%22endpoint%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fpublish.twitter.com%5C%2Foembed%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22unknown%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2Fryangrim%5C%2Fstatus%5C%2F1716905767109042640%3Fs%3D20%22%7D) --><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">290 Former <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BernieSanders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@BernieSanders<\/a> Staffers Are Urging The Senator To Sponsor A &quot;Ceasefire Now&quot; Senate Resolution<br><br>Story to follow. Watch their video message to Sanders: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fnV0DONhbp\">pic.twitter.com\/fnV0DONhbp<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ryangrim\/status\/1716905767109042640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 24, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><!-- END-BLOCK(oembed)[3] -->\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Vermont senator has taken to the Senate floor to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenSanders\/status\/1714806126863143292?s=20\">advocate<\/a> for humanitarian aid for people in Gaza and urged Israel to allow aid to enter the region, along with <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenSanders\/status\/1716580037325983768?s=20\">calling for<\/a> a halt from \u201cthe bombs and missiles from both sides.\u201d Still, he has not formally endorsed a ceasefire, and his former aides are urging him to introduce a Senate resolution more clearly laying out the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>For veterans of the Israel-Palestine fight in the United States, Sanders is someone who expanded the boundaries of allowable dissent, but has never been a radical on the question. In the 2016 presidential campaign, his suggestion that the 2014 Israeli assault on Gaza had been disproportionate was elevated as an indication that Sanders was heavily critical of Israel. Pressed on his characterization on CNN, Sanders stood by it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWas Israel\u2019s response disproportionate? I think it was,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/world-news\/2016-04-10\/ty-article\/clinton-sanders-clash-on-israels-actions-during-gaza-war\/0000017f-f63a-d5bd-a17f-f63aedda0000\">Sanders said.<\/a> \u201cIsrael has a 100 percent \u2014 and no one will fight for that principle more strongly than I will \u2014 has the right to live in freedom, independently, and in security without having to be subjected to terrorist attacks. But I think that we will not succeed to ever bring peace into that region unless we also treat the Palestinians with dignity and respect, and that is my view.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CNN\u2019s Jake Tapper noted to Sanders that even that formulation was outside the realm of standard campaign fare. \u201cIt is interesting that the first Jew in American history to win a delegate, much less a primary, is taking this position with Israel,\u201d Tapper said to Sanders. \u201cUsually in American politics, everyone just supports Israel whatever Israel wants to do, but you are taking a more critical position.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m taking a more balanced position,\u201d Sanders responded.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>At a presidential debate, advocates of Palestinian human rights cheered when Sanders became effectively the first serious candidate to insist the U.S. \u201ctreat the Palestinian people with respect and dignity.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI read Secretary Clinton\u2019s speech before AIPAC. I heard virtually no discussion at all about the needs of the Palestinian people,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-israel_n_57114f60e4b0060ccda353ab\">Sanders said.<\/a> \u201cOf course Israel has a right to defend itself, but long-term, there will never be peace in that region, unless the United States plays an even-handed role, trying to bring people together and recognizing the serious problems that exist among the Palestinian people &#8230; There comes a time when, if we pursue justice and peace, we are going to have to say that Netanyahu is not right all of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because the Israel-Palestine dialogue was so fiercely constrained, Sanders\u2019s intervention may have suggested to his supporters that he was willing to go further on the issue than he actually was. But in 2014, as he made those \u201cdisproportionate\u201d comments, Sanders was heckled back home at a Vermont town hall, sparking a testy exchange in which he told voters who wanted stronger condemnation of Israel that they wouldn\u2019t always be satisfied with his answers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry, I don\u2019t have the magic answer. This is a very depressing and difficult issue. This has gone on for 60 bloody years,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Vf2cCdgwgoM\">he said.<\/a> \u201cIf you\u2019re asking me, do I have the magical solution, I don\u2019t. That is my answer. I hear that some of you don\u2019t like it. You have better ideas, that\u2019s great.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2020, after former President Donald Trump introduced a \u201cpeace plan,\u201d Sanders <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenSanders\/status\/1222241940265218049?s=20\">tweeted<\/a> that any acceptable proposal \u201cmust end the Israeli occupation and enable Palestinian self-determination in an independent state of their own alongside a secure Israel.\u201d In 2021 \u2014 amid a flare-up of violence sparked by the eviction of Palestinians in Jerusalem and the Israeli police storming the city\u2019s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound \u2014 Sanders <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BernieSanders\/status\/1393972598237696007?s=20\">urged<\/a> for \u201can immediate ceasefire\u201d and for the U.S. to \u201ctake a hard look at nearly $4 billion a year in military aid to Israel,\u201d out of concern that U.S. aid supports human rights violations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>The letter is part of mounting opposition against the United States\u2019s unconditional support for Israel. Last week, over a dozen former <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2023\/10\/20\/john-fetterman-ceasefire-israel-hamas\/\">John Fetterman<\/a> campaign staffers, 411 current <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/capitol-hill-staffers-call-for-cease-fire-in-gaza_n_653198b9e4b03b213b094fe8\">congressional staffers<\/a>, and 260 former <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@juliana.amin\/dear-senator-warren-9a8055d97f2f\">Elizabeth Warren<\/a> presidential campaign staffers issued statements demanding support for a ceasefire, while an 11-year State Department official <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/state-department-resignation-gaza_n_65306079e4b00565b622b1fb\">resigned<\/a> due to his moral disagreements with the Biden administration\u2019s approach to the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last week, as the death toll of Israel\u2019s assault in Gaza approached 3,800 people, the progressive polling firm Data for Progress <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dataforprogress.org\/blog\/2023\/10\/19\/voters-agree-the-us-should-call-for-a-ceasefire-and-de-escalation-of-violence-in-gaza\">found<\/a> that 66 percent of all likely voters and 80 percent of Democrats were in favor of a ceasefire. Just days later, as of Tuesday, Israel has killed almost 2,000 more people \u2014 at least 5,700 total since October 7 \u2014 according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the letter, Sanders\u2019s aides said that his advocacy for Palestinian rights was among the major reasons they came to work for him. \u201cMany of us, your former staff, are Muslim and\/or Arab, and were inspired to support your campaign because of your calls to end the \u2018Forever Wars\u2019 waged against people who look like us and worship like us,\u201d they wrote. \u201cWe felt proud to serve a candidate who acknowledged the plight and humanity of Palestinians and who spoke out against the Israeli occupation. Many of us, your former staff, share your Jewish heritage. Like your family, many of our families had entire sections erased from existence by Nazi barbarism in the Holocaust. It is our duty to stand up and say that our pain and sorrow at the losses on October 7 will not be weaponized to justify the ethnic cleansing or genocide of Palestinian civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou are the strongest voice in the US Senate on progressive foreign policy,\u201d they added. \u201cWe need you to stand up forcefully, as you always have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2023\/10\/24\/bernie-sanders-ceasefire-letter-israel\/\">Nearly 300 Bernie Sanders Alumni Call On Senator to Back a Ceasefire in Gaza<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/\">The Intercept<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2023\/10\/24\/bernie-sanders-ceasefire-letter-israel\/\">The Intercept<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cMany of us, your former staff, share your Jewish heritage,\u201d the letter said. \u201cOur pain and sorrow at the losses on October 7 will not be weaponized.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2023\/10\/24\/bernie-sanders-ceasefire-letter-israel\/\">Nearly 300 Bernie Sanders Alumni Call On Senator to Back a Ceasefire in Gaza<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/\">The Intercept<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1290658"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/93"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1290658"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1290658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1292629,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1290658\/revisions\/1292629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1290658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1290658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1290658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}