A savvy politician, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I—Vermont) worked the crowd at the J Street conference in Washington.
“Just a couple of things …” said Sanders, standing up from the chair he was seated in on the stage. “Number one: I am very proud to be Jewish, and I look forward to being the first Jewish president of this country.” He then emphasized that the Jewish people uniquely understand “the dangers of white supremacy and racism” and that “what is going on in Gaza right now, for example, is absolutely inhumane, it is unacceptable, it is unsustainable.”
“So I would use the leverage,” said Sanders. “$3.8 billion is a lot of money. We cannot give it carte blanche to the Israeli government … We have the right to demand respect for human rights and democracy.”