Bernie Sanders: 'I'm Not a Great Fan' of Benjamin Netanyahu

This surprised me a bit. I did know that he wasn't a rabid zionist, but this clarifies his position nicely.

I also didn't know that he has a Brother that ran for Parliment in the UK.

www.alternet.org...

Earlier this week, NPR host Diane Rehm asked Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who is competing for the Democratic nomination for the presidency, whether he is an Israeli-American dual citizen (he isn't). What was less noticed was the dialogue between Rehm and Sanders afterward, where they discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But clearly the goals are two-fold: number one the Palestinian people, in my view, deserve a state of their own, they deserve an economy of their own, they deserve economic support from the people of this country. And Israel needs to be able to live in security without terrorist attacks. Those are the goals of I think any sensible foreign policy in that region.

Well, I gotta tell you, I am not a great fan of President Netanyahu I did not attend the speech that he gave before the joint session of Congress. I think it was opportunistic. I think he was using it as part of his campaign for re-election. I think he was being used or did use the Republicans to go behind the President's back.

I like him better now knowing that he is a rational man even when 'religious' influences enter the discussion.

a reply to: FyreByrd


The comments are interesting as well.

a reply to: FyreByrd

I'm not a fan of Netanyahu either. I don't exactly trust Israel either.

a reply to: FyreByrd

Well, say goodbye to most of your votes you were planning on getting....People can say what they will but Israel is a huge part of the voting process, if you are against them you might as well just bail out of the election process now....

And why do they keep asking him about Israel? They found one thing that would likely piss off a lot of Americans? And I thought this was an AMERICAN election. Well he's nailed his coffin shut now.

originally posted by: intrepid
And why do they keep asking him about Israel? They found one thing that would likely piss off a lot of Americans? And I thought this was an AMERICAN election. Well he's nailed his coffin shut now.

It's gotten to where if you run for President now your views towards Israel is more important than America. When you run for President you are expected to go to Israel and pay homage to the Israeli government to show how American you are. Also he is Jewish so everyone automatically thinks he should be a big supporter of everything Israel does. If Bernie keeps talking like this he may as well drop out now.

originally posted by: buster2010
Also he is Jewish so everyone automatically thinks he should be a big supporter of everything Israel does.

I didn't know that but that is a common misconception.

If Bernie keeps talking like this he may as well drop out now.

Too late imo.

a reply to: intrepid

I've seen numbers, albeit a few years ago, where 85% of the U.S. Jews voted Democrat. I'm not sure to the accuracy of those numbers, but not unlike any other religion, politics isn't monolithic.

From Hollywood to the New England, Ivy League elite, Israel isn't popular at all.

At least he isn't a hater...unlike some posters.

His argument that Netanyahu's speech was opportunistic is bull. What was he going to do? Refuse the GOP invitation and piss them off, as well? Not logical whatsoever, from what I can see. Just more pandering to the left.....

I really don't care what his view on Benny are. Don't care. Israel is not my country, nor is it the one you supposedly want to be elected President in.

Berny, baby...

How about answering questions, or proposing ideas to improve this country? Y'know, infrastructure? Our borders? ...and a whole big ol' host of other issues that need addressing.

Israel, while important, is pretty far down on the list of things I'm bothered about.

But, don't worry Berny, Israel's the be all, end all, in American politics these days. So parrot whatever you think we want to hear, and roll on.

Unfortunately for Bernie, Hilary has already been chosen as the Democratic nominee. His anti-Israel, pro-Socialism stances aren't going to help him, but ultimately he never stood a chance against the Clinton criminal organization. They have too much (foreign) money and are the choice of the Democratic elite.

originally posted by: Metallicus
They have too much (foreign) money and are the choice of the Democratic elite.

Whoa man. You're thinking that there is a difference between these rich bastards? I think they are protecting their own whether they are Rep or Dem. Class.... not politics.

a reply to: Chrisfishenstein

I don't agree. Especially younger people will be more sympathetic to Palestine and more wary of Israel.

I think you'd be surprised how many people aren't fans of Israel.

Sanders did not call for ending the sizable diplomatic, military and economic support that Israel receives from the United States. He didn't match the position of his brother, Larry Sanders, who ran for Parliament in Britain under the Green Party ticket in calling for boycotts against Israel.

And naturally, Sanders gives no actual methods of solutions.

He is just another dry bag of wind.

The perfect candidate.

a reply to: intrepid

It's my understanding that he's only "Jewish" by birth because his parents were Jewish, but in reality he doesn't actively practice any faith to any significant degree.

In other words, to my knowledge he's not someone who's overly concerned with attending religious services on Sunday's etc. and he definitely believes in the separation of Church and State.

While I have serious doubts with respect to his electability, if he gets the nomination he's got my vote all the way.

I don't think you're going to find a more honest politician than Bernie Sanders in this day & time and I believe him to be a man of his convictions.

Does he have the required voter appeal to become POTUS? Now that's a whole nuther question.

Elites are going to keep him out of a successful presidential running just because of that. Expect the press to turn on him soon too.

originally posted by: seagull
I really don't care what his view on Benny are. Don't care. Israel is not my country, nor is it the one you supposedly want to be elected President in.

Berny, baby...

How about answering questions, or proposing ideas to improve this country? Y'know, infrastructure? Our borders? ...and a whole big ol' host of other issues that need addressing.

Israel, while important, is pretty far down on the list of things I'm bothered about.

But, don't worry Berny, Israel's the be all, end all, in American politics these days. So parrot whatever you think we want to hear, and roll on.

Have you bothered to look at his website or listen to him on the radio? He has plenty of workable and simple solutions to problems that the majority (maybe not you specifically) of US citizens want to see addressed.

Unemployment
Crumbling Infrastrute
Endless War
Wealth Disparity
Health Care
Immigration
Extra-Judicial Killings

He has more to say and better planning then anyone out there.

a reply to: FyreByrd

I have.

But how many out there aren't going to his websites, or blogs, or whatever else? Those help not a wit if people don't access them.

He needs to get 'em out there. Stop answering stupid questions about Israel, and answer those that you listed.

It's gotten to where if you run for President now your views towards Israel is more important than America

Yeah conservative have gotten really good at "controlling the narrative" as it's called. Like after 911 you were only allowed to think about bombing Iraq or not bombing Iraq, so they could push the way until there was enough support for it. If you keep peoples' brains focused where you want them they're a lot easier to control.

originally posted by: Flatfish
a reply to: intrepid

It's my understanding that he's only "Jewish" by birth because his parents were Jewish, but in reality he doesn't actively practice any faith to any significant degree.

In other words, to my knowledge he's not someone who's overly concerned with attending religious services on Sunday's etc. and he definitely believes in the separation of Church and State.

While I have serious doubts with respect to his electability, if he gets the nomination he's got my vote all the way.

I don't think you're going to find a more honest politician than Bernie Sanders in this day & time and I believe him to be a man of his convictions.

Does he have the required voter appeal to become POTUS? Now that's a whole nuther question.

LOL I think you're misunderstanding something big about Jews, being Jewish, the Tribe of Judah, and Judaism. Being "Jewish" simply means you're a member of the Tribe of Judah. It has nothing to do with following Judaism, as many Jewish people are atheists. Being a follower of the religion Judaism is something separate, though usually translated as "being a Jew".

Jewish = genetic member of the Tribe of Judah
Jew = member of tribe and/or practicing member of a form of Judaism

Also, different denominations accept different qualifications to be considered a member of the Tribe of Judah aka Jewish. Some say the mother has to be a member (aka having a Jewish mother); some say the father has to be a member; some say both parents have to be members; and others accept converts if they adopt that denomination's traditions & way of life. So some people are considered Jewish by Reform Jews but not accepted as Jewish by some Orthodox Jews. I think Israel allowed any Russian with a Jewish grandparent to come to Israel during the Cold War, though not all considered them Jewish.

As for the OP: I think Sanders' position is similar to anyone else who is against Israel's right wing government & its policies. I don't think he hates Israel or is an enemy of Israel. I just think it's a situation of left wing vs right wing.