Bernie Sanders declares it's 'not antisemitic' to criticize Israel

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has his own plan for "how to fight antisemitism."

In an op-ed published Monday on the progressive site Jewish Currents, Sanders reflects on something he usually doesn't "spend a lot of time talking about:" his experience as a "proud Jewish American." But it's been a year since "President Donald Trump's own words helped inspire the worst act of antisemitic violence in American history," Sanders said, so he's outlining policies and ideologies he feels are needed to "confront this hatred."

Last October, 11 people were killed at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synogogue, with the shooter using Trump's term of "invasion" to justify his attack. That's an obvious example of how "antisemitism is rising in this country," with the FBI reporting "hate crimes against Jews rose by more than a third in 2017," Sanders wrote. And the only way to combat this is to "do exactly the opposite of what Trump is doing and embrace our differences to bring people together," Sanders continued.

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Sanders called out how false "accusations of antisemitism" are often lobbied at progressives, saying "it is not antisemitic to criticize the policies of the Israeli government," Sanders declared, though some of that criticism can "cross the line." "I will always call out antisemitism when I see it," Sanders said, also adding that he will also "rejoin the United Nations Human Rights Council, which Trump withdrew from" and immediately appoint a "special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism." From there, Sanders will continue to call for independent Israeli and Palestinian states and push for "solidarity" among all people working for that same goal.

Find all of Sanders' plan at Jewish Currents.