Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday criticized the invitation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before Congress, arguing someone who is creating a “humanitarian disaster” should not be feted.
“You do not honor a foreign leader by addressing a joint session of Congress who is currently engaged in creating the worst humanitarian disaster in the modern history of this country,” Sanders said in an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes on Tuesday.
Sanders, an independent from Vermont, accused Israel of “going to war against the entire Palestinian people” and creating “starvation and famine impacting thousands and thousands of children” in Gaza due to Israel’s offensive against Hamas. As a result, he has vowed to boycott the address.
“The architect of that policy is not somebody you honor by bringing to the United States Congress, in my view,” the progressive said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) invited Netanyahu to address Congress, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both New York Democrats, backed the move. In response, Sanders and some Democrats have either said they would boycott or were unsure whether they would attend.
The date for Netanyahu’s speech — originally set for June 13 — is not confirmed at this time.
