Diyar Güldoğan
17 September 2025•Update: 17 September 2025
WASHINGTON
US Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people, citing mounting evidence from international legal experts, human rights organizations and UN investigators.
"It Is Genocide," Sanders titled his op-ed, which he released on his website.
Sanders accused the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-led government of waging “an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people” rather than simply defending itself from Hamas.
While acknowledging Israel’s right to self-defense in response to an Oct. 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Sanders argued that the scope, scale and duration of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza -- which he described as a policy of mass killing, starvation, and destruction -- has long since moved beyond the bounds of self-defense.
"The intent is clear. The conclusion is inescapable: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza," Sanders said.
"I recognize that many people may disagree with this conclusion. The truth is, whether you call it genocide or ethnic cleansing or mass atrocities or war crimes, the path forward is clear," he added.
'Enough is enough. No more genocide'
Sanders criticized the US for enabling the war through continued weapons sales and diplomatic support. He demanded an immediate halt to all offensive arms sales to Israel and urged the Trump administration and Congress to “end our complicity in the slaughter of the Palestinian people."
"The United States must not continue sending many billions of dollars and weapons to Netanyahu’s genocidal government," he said, citing his efforts, alongside other senators, to introduce seven Joint Resolutions of Disapproval aimed at blocking arms transfers to Israel.
"Having named it a genocide, we must use every ounce of our leverage to demand an immediate ceasefire, a massive surge of humanitarian aid facilitated by the UN, and initial steps to provide Palestinians with a state of their own," Sanders stressed.
The senator placed the crisis in a broader global context, warning that the erosion of international norms, particularly the prohibition against genocide, threatens democratic values worldwide.
"Make no mistake. If there is no accountability for Netanyahu and his fellow war criminals, other demagogues will do the same.
"History demands that the world act with one voice to say: enough is enough. No more genocide," Sanders added.
The Israeli army has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
