SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks during the Democratic Presidential Debate at Tyler Perry Studios November 20, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Sanders Receives Applause and Praise for Saying US Should Treat Palestinians With 'Respect and Dignity They Deserve'
"Senator Bernie Sanders just gave the best Israel-Palestine answer ever delivered by a serious contender in an American presidential debate."
Nov 19, 2019
Sen. Bernie Sanders earned audience applause and progressive praise Wednesday night for comments on the Democratic debate stage in Atlanta, Georgia endorsing a future U.S. policy that treats Palestinians like human beings.
The Vermont senator's remarks came--unprompted--during the foreign policy portion of the debate.
"It is no longer good enough for us simply to be pro-Israel. I am pro-Israel," Sanders said. "But we must treat the Palestinian people with the respect and dignity they deserve."
"What is going on in Gaza right now, where youth unemployment is 60, 70 percent, is unsustainable," Sanders added.
The senator's remarks sparked immediate praise from progressives, political activists, and journalists.
"I just want to make it clear that almost NO ONE in American politics brings up Palestinian human rights without being forced to," tweeted the Hill's Krystal Ball. "MASSIVE KUDOS to Bernie Sanders."
The Intercept's Glenn Greenwald said on Twitter that Sanders' answer showed why the senator is unique among the Democratic candidates.
"Is there even a small chance that any candidate other than Sanders would speak so powerfully about the oppression of Palestinians and how it means we need to re-think support for Israel?" asked Greenwald. "I can't think of one."
John Cassidy of The New Yorker noted that Sanders has been a longtime supporter of Palestinian rights.
"Well done Bernie Sanders for bringing up Palestinian rights and the situation in Gaza," said Cassidy. "He's been consistent on it."
Advocacy group IfNotNow's Yonah Lieberman made sure to credit the longterm grassroots Palestinian rights movement with shifting the U.S. conversation on the conflict.
"The small glimmer of courage we saw on the debate stage is not possible without a powerful grassroots movement making space for leaders to take that clear moral stance, and giving a push to those who aren't yet ready to do so," said Lieberman.
Other observers, like Sanders foreign policy advisor Matt Duss, pointed to the positive reaction of the crowd as evidence that the conversation in the Democratic Party on Palestine is changing.
"You hear that applause for Palestinian rights at the Democratic debate?" said Duss. "Yeah you do."
The Atlantic's Peter Beinart said that "the audience cheered when Bernie Sanders spoke about Palestinian rights because ordinary Democrats believe in Palestinian rights."
"And because they know that, even in the Democratic Party, acknowledging Palestinian humanity requires political courage," Beinart added.
John Nichols of The Nation said he had never heard a presidential candidate give that impassioned a defense of the Palestinian people.
"Senator Bernie Sanders just gave the best Israel-Palestine answer ever delivered by a serious contender in an American presidential debate," said Nichols.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sen. Bernie Sanders earned audience applause and progressive praise Wednesday night for comments on the Democratic debate stage in Atlanta, Georgia endorsing a future U.S. policy that treats Palestinians like human beings.
The Vermont senator's remarks came--unprompted--during the foreign policy portion of the debate.
"It is no longer good enough for us simply to be pro-Israel. I am pro-Israel," Sanders said. "But we must treat the Palestinian people with the respect and dignity they deserve."
"What is going on in Gaza right now, where youth unemployment is 60, 70 percent, is unsustainable," Sanders added.
The senator's remarks sparked immediate praise from progressives, political activists, and journalists.
"I just want to make it clear that almost NO ONE in American politics brings up Palestinian human rights without being forced to," tweeted the Hill's Krystal Ball. "MASSIVE KUDOS to Bernie Sanders."
The Intercept's Glenn Greenwald said on Twitter that Sanders' answer showed why the senator is unique among the Democratic candidates.
"Is there even a small chance that any candidate other than Sanders would speak so powerfully about the oppression of Palestinians and how it means we need to re-think support for Israel?" asked Greenwald. "I can't think of one."
John Cassidy of The New Yorker noted that Sanders has been a longtime supporter of Palestinian rights.
"Well done Bernie Sanders for bringing up Palestinian rights and the situation in Gaza," said Cassidy. "He's been consistent on it."
Advocacy group IfNotNow's Yonah Lieberman made sure to credit the longterm grassroots Palestinian rights movement with shifting the U.S. conversation on the conflict.
"The small glimmer of courage we saw on the debate stage is not possible without a powerful grassroots movement making space for leaders to take that clear moral stance, and giving a push to those who aren't yet ready to do so," said Lieberman.
Other observers, like Sanders foreign policy advisor Matt Duss, pointed to the positive reaction of the crowd as evidence that the conversation in the Democratic Party on Palestine is changing.
"You hear that applause for Palestinian rights at the Democratic debate?" said Duss. "Yeah you do."
The Atlantic's Peter Beinart said that "the audience cheered when Bernie Sanders spoke about Palestinian rights because ordinary Democrats believe in Palestinian rights."
"And because they know that, even in the Democratic Party, acknowledging Palestinian humanity requires political courage," Beinart added.
John Nichols of The Nation said he had never heard a presidential candidate give that impassioned a defense of the Palestinian people.
"Senator Bernie Sanders just gave the best Israel-Palestine answer ever delivered by a serious contender in an American presidential debate," said Nichols.
Sen. Bernie Sanders earned audience applause and progressive praise Wednesday night for comments on the Democratic debate stage in Atlanta, Georgia endorsing a future U.S. policy that treats Palestinians like human beings.
The Vermont senator's remarks came--unprompted--during the foreign policy portion of the debate.
"It is no longer good enough for us simply to be pro-Israel. I am pro-Israel," Sanders said. "But we must treat the Palestinian people with the respect and dignity they deserve."
"What is going on in Gaza right now, where youth unemployment is 60, 70 percent, is unsustainable," Sanders added.
The senator's remarks sparked immediate praise from progressives, political activists, and journalists.
"I just want to make it clear that almost NO ONE in American politics brings up Palestinian human rights without being forced to," tweeted the Hill's Krystal Ball. "MASSIVE KUDOS to Bernie Sanders."
The Intercept's Glenn Greenwald said on Twitter that Sanders' answer showed why the senator is unique among the Democratic candidates.
"Is there even a small chance that any candidate other than Sanders would speak so powerfully about the oppression of Palestinians and how it means we need to re-think support for Israel?" asked Greenwald. "I can't think of one."
John Cassidy of The New Yorker noted that Sanders has been a longtime supporter of Palestinian rights.
"Well done Bernie Sanders for bringing up Palestinian rights and the situation in Gaza," said Cassidy. "He's been consistent on it."
Advocacy group IfNotNow's Yonah Lieberman made sure to credit the longterm grassroots Palestinian rights movement with shifting the U.S. conversation on the conflict.
"The small glimmer of courage we saw on the debate stage is not possible without a powerful grassroots movement making space for leaders to take that clear moral stance, and giving a push to those who aren't yet ready to do so," said Lieberman.
Other observers, like Sanders foreign policy advisor Matt Duss, pointed to the positive reaction of the crowd as evidence that the conversation in the Democratic Party on Palestine is changing.
"You hear that applause for Palestinian rights at the Democratic debate?" said Duss. "Yeah you do."
The Atlantic's Peter Beinart said that "the audience cheered when Bernie Sanders spoke about Palestinian rights because ordinary Democrats believe in Palestinian rights."
"And because they know that, even in the Democratic Party, acknowledging Palestinian humanity requires political courage," Beinart added.
John Nichols of The Nation said he had never heard a presidential candidate give that impassioned a defense of the Palestinian people.
"Senator Bernie Sanders just gave the best Israel-Palestine answer ever delivered by a serious contender in an American presidential debate," said Nichols.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy