ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA

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ZOA Condemns Sen. Sanders’ Antisemitic “Racism” Accusations Against Israel and Anti-Israel Legislation

Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton A. Klein released the following statement:

Senator Bernie Sanders (Israel-Hating Socialist-VT) is truly an enemy of the Jewish State of Israel. While Palestinian Authority terrorist dictator Mahmoud Abbas incites to murder Jews, and Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad launches 4,000 rockets at Israeli civilians attempting to massacre thousands of innocent Jews, Senator Bernie Sanders led despicable legislation to oppose the previously approved U.S. sale to Israel of $735 million of weapons that Israel needs to defend her people from the Arab Nazis of Hamas, whose Charter calls for the murder of every Jew on Earth, which includes Sanders himself. “Sanders Leads Resolution Blocking Weapons Sales to Israel,” May 21, 2021.)

And while innocent Jews are being attacked by mostly Arab/Muslim mobs, consisting of pro-Hamas Jew-haters throughout the United States, Europe and Israel, Senator Bernie Sanders further stoked the flames of antisemitism by declaring falsely on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that “the Netanyahu government has become extremely right wing and that there are people in the Israeli government now who are overt racists. You have in West Jerusalem people being evicted from their homes.” (Transcript; See also “Sanders: Israeli government has 'overt racists',” Israel Nat’l News, May 24, 2021.)

Sanders’ “racism” charge leveled at the democratically-elected, human-rights-loving Jewish State of Israel’s government is both false and deeply inflammatory. And notice Sanders never criticizes the truly antisemitic, racist leaders of Hamas who demand the murder of Jews, or the Palestinian Authority who pay Arabs to murder Jews and call for the destruction of the the Jewish State.

Moreover, no one in “West Jerusalem” is being evicted. As usual, Sanders gets his facts wrong. Sanders is moreover joining in the hateful campaign to politicize and lie about an ordinary landlord-tenant dispute in Jerusalem’s Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood (which Arabs renamed “Sheikh Jarrah”). Jews owned the land in issue since the 1800s, and proved this in court decades ago. Israel’s liberal courts concluded, after lengthy litigation, that a few Arab families who failed to pay rent for decades to Jewish homeowners needed to be evicted. This is the same conclusion that courts everywhere in the world reach every day regarding non-paying tenants and squatters.

Sanders also failed to acknowledge Hamas’ 4,000 rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, and instead complained about “incredible suffering in Gaza” and claimed that “after the Israeli attacks, you have wastewater plants destroyed, clinics destroyed, hospitals destroyed.” Sanders ignored that Israel in fact targeted Hamas military facilities—not civilians—to try to stop the thousands of Iranian-provided Hamas rockets descending on Israel’s people.

Sanders also ignored the suffering Hamas and Israeli Arabs perpetrated on the Israeli people, including 12 murdered Israelis; hundreds of injured Israeli Jews; and thousands of Jewish properties damaged by Hamas rockets and Israeli Arab attacks.

Unfortunately, Bernie Sanders’ false and inflammatory anti-Israel statements and actions are nothing new. For instance:

Sanders falsely and vastly overstated the number of Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza in 2014—and again ignored that every single casualty was the fault of Hamas launching rockets at Israel.

Sanders employed top staffers, advisers, and surrogates who are extremely hostile to Jews and Israel. (See “ZOA Condemns Bernie Sanders for Employing Three Hostile-To-Jews/Israel Staffers; Fire Them!,” Mar. 13, 2019; “ZOA Urges ADL & Others: Join Us in Demanding Bernie Sanders Fire New Jew-Hating Senior Advisor,” Mar. 9.2020; “ZOA To Sanders: Fire New Israel-Hating Staffer and Reject Endorsement from Antisemitic, Israelophobic Reps. Omar & Tlaib,” Oct. 25, 2019.)

Sanders’ called Jew-hater Ilhan Omar: “One of the greatest people I know” at a campaign rally. “ZOA Criticizes Bernie Sanders for Legitimizing Antisemitism by Praising Jew-Hating Omar,” Mar. 6, 2020. Sanders also accepted endorsements from Jew-haters Omar and Rashida Tlaib. (“ZOA To Sanders: Fire New Israel-Hating Staffer and Reject Endorsement from Antisemitic, Israelophobic Reps. Omar & Tlaib,” Oct. 25, 2019.)

During Sanders’ 2019 speech to the extremist anti-Israel group J Street, Sanders’ called for redirecting U.S. military aid to Israel, by instead giving it to Hamas’ Gaza. “ZOA Condemns Sanders’ Insane Demand: Give U.S. military Aid to Israel to Hamas’ Gaza,” Oct. 30, 2019.

Sanders also co-sponsored Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)’s anti-Israel amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”) for Fiscal Year 2021, to prohibit use of funds for Israel’s defense if Israel exercises her sovereign rights to historic Jewish land lawfully granted to Israel under international law. (“ZOA Action Alert: Oppose Senator Van Hollen’s Amendment to Damage Israeli (and American) Defense, If Israel Exercises Her Lawful Sovereign Rights,” July 10, 2020.)

After the Trump administration saved countless lives by killing dangerous nuclear terrorist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Bernie Sanders called this “reckless” and “sabotage” of re-entry into the Iran deal. Sanders thus reiterated the hateful messaging of the reported chief lobbying group for the Iranian regime, National Iranian American Council (NIAC), anti-Israel J Street. (ZOA Criticizes Sen. Sanders, John Brennan, J Street, Ben Rhodes for Condemning the Killing of Iran’s Nuclear Terrorist Fakhrizadeh,” Dec. 1, 2020.)

Sanders joined Ilhan Omar to urge lifting sanctions on the Iranian terrorist regime, using COVID as an excuse—even though the U.S. sanctions law already allowed humanitarian supplies. (“ZOA Condemns Sanders, Ilhan Omar, Others for Demanding Ending Iran Sanctions,” Mar. 20, 2020.)

Sen. Bernie Sanders is an antisemitic, Israelophobic, frightening disgrace. ZOA urged all people of goodwill to condemn Sanders for his unbridled enmity toward Israel.

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Founded in 1897, ZOA played a key role in the Jewish State's re-establishment. Today, ZOA is the leading major American Jewish organization courageously defending Israel and the Jewish people; fighting against all forms of antisemitism, including anti-Jewish boycotts; and promoting the Jewish people's lawful right to live in and settle historic Jewish lands. ZOA exposes that a Palestinian state would endanger Israel's existence; presents the facts about the Arab/Islamic war against Israel; and combats the anti-Israel lie that Israel is an "occupier" of her own land. ZOA spearheaded long battles to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and apply civil rights protections to Jewish students. ZOA provides free legal assistance and programs to pro-Israel students at numerous college campuses. ZOA's bold, unapologetic voice has a significant impact on public discourse and policy.

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