The senator for the Green Mountain State issued this call in a Dec. 12 letter addressed to the chief executive. "The U.S. government has urged Israel to change its tactics, but we have done little but ask nicely while continuing to enable that campaign," he wrote.
Sanders pointed out that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is conducting its military operation against Hamas in a deeply immoral way.
"Israel's reliance on widespread and indiscriminate bombardment, including with massive explosive ordinance in densely populated urban areas, is unconscionable. The Netanyahu government’s current military approach is immoral, it is in violation of international law, and the U.S. must end [its] complicity in those actions," he said. "It would be irresponsible to provide an additional $10.1 billion in military aid. This money would allow for the continuation of the Netanyahu government's widespread, indiscriminate bombardment."
The supplemental aid package includes "defensive systems that will protect Israeli civilians against incoming missile and rocket attacks." However, Congress has requested the additional $10 billion on top of this package – which Sanders urged Biden not to support.
Moreover, the Vermont senator asked the president to "support efforts at the United Nations to end the bloodshed" in the Gaza Strip. He referenced a recent resolution on the matter vetoed by Washington that would have demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and full humanitarian access. (Related: U.S. vetoed Gaza ceasefire on same day it profited from arms sale to Israel.)
According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. has provided at least 15,000 bombs and nearly 60,000 artillery shells to Israel. Meanwhile, the Washington Post said Israel has dropped more than 22,000 American-supplied guided and unguided bombs on Gaza in the first six weeks after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.
Sanders wasn't alone in calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Even interns in the White House called for a permanent stop to the bombing through a letter addressed to Biden.
The letter, which was first obtained by NBC News, was penned by more than 40 interns at the White House and the Executive Office of the President. The signatories worked under the executive branch for the fall 2023 season.
"We will no longer remain silent on the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people," the letter reads. "We heed the voices of the American people and call on the [Biden] administration to demand a permanent ceasefire. We are not the decision makers of today, but we aspire to be the leaders of tomorrow – and we will never forget how the pleas of the American people have been heard and thus far, ignored.
"We were horrified by the brutal Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, and we are horrified by the brutal and genocidal response by the Israeli government [that is] funded by our American tax dollars, which has killed over 14,000 innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza – a large percentage of whom are children."
The group of interns acknowledged the Biden administration's support for the week-long humanitarian pause in Gaza, but stressed that this was insufficient. It instead called for a "complete halt of Israel's mass slaughter of innocent civilians."
"We urge the Biden administration to call for a permanent ceasefire now, a release of all hostages including Palestinian political prisoners, and to support a diplomatic solution that will put an end to the illegal occupation and the Israeli apartheid, in accordance with international law and for a free Palestine."
Visit IsraelCollapse.com for more stories about the ongoing conflict in Israel.
Watch this Fox News report about the "shameful" comments made by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders about Gaza.
This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.
How America’s bloodthirsty journalism cheers on Israel's war on Gaza.
White House interns demand PERMANENT CEASEFIRE for Gaza via letter to Biden.
GENOCIDE by STARVATION: Israel's bombing operations have exhausted the food supply in Gaza.
Sources include:
Sanders.Senate.gov [PDF]