Bernie Sanders calls Israel's Netanyahu 'a racist'

(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter)

published 20 December 2019

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has a harsh insult for a man he may soon have to work very closely with.

During Thursday's Democratic debate, 2020 presidential candidates faced questions about how they'd handle the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. Sanders wasted no time in bringing up the fact that he'd be the first Jewish president — and that he views Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "a racist."

When asked how he'd respond to Israeli expansion of settlements, Sanders prefaced his answer by saying he "lived in Israel as a kid" and is "proudly Jewish." "Israel has the right to ... exist in peace in security," he said, "but we must be pro-Palestinian as well." Then Sanders turned to Netanyahu, pointing out that he was recently "indicted for bribery" and said he "in my view is a racist." He then spelled out his vision for a "level playing field" in the Middle East.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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