Sanders the first senator to say Israel committing genocide in Gaza

The article reports that Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has become the first U.S. senator to publicly declare that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict following the October 7, 2023 attacks. in an op-ed titled “It is indeed Genocide,” Sanders acknowledges Israel’s right to self-defense but criticizes the extent of its military actions, describing them as an all-out war against the Palestinian people. He cites conclusions from legal experts, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, human rights organizations like B’Tselem, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and a UN-appointed independent commission, all of which have found Israel’s policies in Gaza to meet the legal definition of genocide.

Sanders highlights the heavy Palestinian casualties reported by Gaza’s health ministry and condemns the alleged Israeli campaign of bombing, starvation, and forced migration aimed at Palestinians to enable what he describes as a “Riviera of the Middle East” envisioned by former President Donald Trump. vermont’s U.S. Representative Becca Balint also echoed Sanders’ genocide accusation, expressing personal conflict given her family history connected to the Holocaust. Both Sanders and Balint are the first Jewish American members of Congress to speak out in this manner regarding the situation in Gaza. The article further mentions Israel’s recent ground offensive in Gaza and political reactions from leaders including Trump and Prime minister Netanyahu.


Sanders becomes first senator to say Israel committing genocide in Gaza

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) became the first senator to declare Israel’s conduct in its war in Gaza a genocide on Wednesday.

Sanders, in an op-ed titled “It is Genocide” posted to his campaign website, laid out his thoughts on the conflict.

He began his essay saying Israel had a right to defend itself after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, but took the conflict to “an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people.”

“Many legal experts have now concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The International Association of Genocide Scholars concluded that ‘Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide,’” Sanders wrote.

“The Israeli human rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel have reached the same conclusion, as have international groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch,” he added.

Senate HELP Committee ranking member Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks during a Capitol Hill hearing in Washington on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 65,000 Palestinians have died so far in the Israel-Hamas war.

“Just yesterday, an independent commission of experts appointed by the United Nations echoed this finding. These experts concluded that: ‘It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention,’” Sanders continued.

Sanders said he agrees with the experts.

Israel this week began a ground offensive into Gaza City and has stretched the Trump administration’s patience with a recent strike on Hamas officials in Qatar. President Donald Trump disapproved of the strikes on the land of an American ally.

“This was a decision made by Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu; it was not a decision made by me,” Trump wrote.

Trump reacted to Israel’s new offensive in Gaza by accusing Hamas of using human shields.

“We’re going to see what happens because I hear Hamas is trying to use the old human shield deal, and if they do that, they’re going to be in big trouble,” Trump said as he left the White House on Tuesday. 

Sanders accused the administration of supporting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s agenda to make way for the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

“Having made life unlivable through bombing and starvation, they are pushing for ‘voluntary’ migration of Palestinians to neighboring countries to make way for President Trump’s twisted vision of a ‘Riviera of the Middle East,’” Sanders wrote.

Vermont’s only U.S. representative, Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT), also said Wednesday that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.

“Today, I believe the Israeli government is committing a genocide against the Palestinian people. As the granddaughter of a man murdered in the Holocaust, it is not easy for me to say that,” she wrote.

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“But the trauma of the Holocaust serves as a reminder of the power of speaking out. I feel compelled to speak out because I know there are so many others like me who are horrified by what they see,” Balint added.

Balint and Sanders are the first Jewish Americans in Congress to say Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.



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