Bernie Sanders shows a balanced approach to Israel

He called for an end to Israel’s siege on the Gaza Strip, which has created a dire economic situation in the enclave.

“We are obligated to speak the truth as we see it. This is what real friendship demands, especially in difficult times,” Sanders said.

“To be successful, we have to be a friend not only to Israel, but to the Palestinian people, where in Gaza, they suffer from an unemployment rate of 44 percent—the highest in the world—and a poverty rate nearly equal to that,” he noted.

The Israeli regime denies about 1.8 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs with proper wages as well as adequate healthcare and education.

Sanders criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for withholding over hundreds of millions of shekels in tax revenue to Palestinians.

He also called for a “sustainable and equitable distribution of precious water resources” in the occupied territories.

“Right now, Israel controls 80 percent of the water reserves in the West Bank. Inadequate water supply has contributed to the degradation and desertification of Palestinian land,” Sanders said. “A lasting a peace will have to recognize Palestinians are entitled to control their own lives, and there is nothing human life needs more than water.”

Sanders slammed Israel for waging a devastating war on Gaza in summer of 2014, which killed nearly 2,200 Palestinians, including 577 children. “The kind of destruction that was wrecked on Gaza during that war was way above what needed to be done for military purposes.”

I think it is important to ensure a balance to the Israeli narrative on the causes of conflict there.

Ronnie Crawford, Dromore BT25