White House hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders
Bernie SandersThe Hill's Morning Report - US urges calm over coronavirus; Italy on lockdown Juan Williams: Democratic voters rebuff Bernie's revolution Judd Gregg: Trump sails into the perfect political storm MORE (I-Vt.) indicated Monday that if elected president he would leverage billions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Israel to push Jerusalem to change its policies toward the Palestinians.
“At a time when we spend $3.8 billion on military aid to Israel, we have the right to say to the Israeli government that the United States of America and our taxpayers and our people believe in human rights, we believe in democracy, we will not accept authoritarianism or racism and we demand that the Israeli government sit down with the Palestinian people and negotiate an agreement that works for all parties,” Sanders said at a Washington conference hosted by J Street, a liberal advocacy group whose stated mission is to help end the Arab-Israeli and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.
“I would use the leverage, $3.8 billion is a lot of money, and we cannot give it carte blanche to the Israeli government or to any government at all," he added. "We have the right to demand respect for human rights and democracy."
The U.S. and Israel reached an agreement in 2016 that would send a record $38 billion in military aid to Jerusalem over a 10-year period. Critics have long decried the agreement, saying American taxpayer dollars should not help fund Israel’s occupation of the West Bank or its blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Sanders has floated the idea of leveraging aid to Israel in the past, saying in July that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin (Bibi) NetanyahuMORE leads “an extreme right-wing government with many racist tendencies” in reference to Israeli policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Sanders told advocates on Monday that some of the military assistance to Israel should instead be allocated to the Gaza Strip in the form of humanitarian aid.
“If you want military aid, you’re going to have to fundamentally change your relationship with the people of Gaza," he said. "In fact, I think it is fair to think that some of that $3.8 billion should go to humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
Sanders went further in his willingness to place conditions on aid than four other 2020 Democratic contenders who spoke at the J Street conference over the past two days.
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Pete ButtigiegThe Hill's Morning Report - US urges calm over coronavirus; Italy on lockdown Sanders focuses on Biden's record, predicts Michigan victory as primary becomes two-man race Candidates want data privacy rules, except for their own campaigns MORE and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro expressed openness to conditioning aid so that U.S. assets would not be used for building or annexing West Bank settlements, while Sens. Amy Klobuchar
Amy KlobucharThe Hill's Morning Report - US urges calm over coronavirus; Italy on lockdown Sanders focuses on Biden's record, predicts Michigan victory as primary becomes two-man race Candidates want data privacy rules, except for their own campaigns MORE (D-Minn.) and Michael Bennet
Michael Farrand Bennet Biden proposes 0B housing plan Nevada caucuses open with a few hiccups Overnight Energy: EPA moves to limit financial pressure on 'forever chemical' manufacturers | California sues Trump over water order| Buttigieg expands on climate plan MORE (D-Colo.) refrained from saying they would place any conditions on military aid to Israel.
