Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took aim at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, saying that he hopes the country removes him as their leader.
Sanders shared his thoughts while speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” noting that the situation the country is facing in its war against Hamas is “horrendously complex.”
“You got a right-wing government in Israel, which is racist. And the people, by the way, but the good news is last poll, I saw only 18 percent of the people of Israel want Netanyahu to stay in office. I hope they get rid of him,” Sanders said. “I hope they put in a government which understands the severity of the crisis.”
The comments from Sanders are not unique, as others have also offered criticism for the Israeli leader, including former President Donald Trump, who shared shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas surprise attack that Netanyahu was wounded by the incident.
“[Netanyahu] has been hurt very badly because of what’s happened here. He was not prepared. He was not prepared, and Israel was not prepared,” Trump told Fox News on Oct. 11.
Trump later offered other thoughts on Israel, one of the nation’s top allies, saying that it was President Joe Biden who was to blame for the attack and ensuing war.
Trump said that the White House had lost its power on the world stage and that “Joe Biden’s weakness caused the attack on Israel” while speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition leadership summit last month.
As for Sanders, the longtime senator has been vocal about his thoughts on the war, saying that preventing civilian deaths should be a top concern.
Sanders urged Israel to halt its bombing of Gaza, calling for them to take a “better way” in eliminating the terrorist group.
“But there got to be a better way than killing thousands of men, women, and children. So once again, the immediate concern is you gotta have a pause in the bombing. You got to take care of immediate disaster,” Sanders said.
Lastly, the senator claimed that Netanyahu’s government is “trying to make it impossible for a two-state solution” in the West Bank.
Thousands have been killed and more injured in the war between Israel and Hamas, with Israel reporting its death toll is at 1,400, while the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry is reporting that more than 9,200 Palestinians are dead.