Israel Losing the War of Worldwide Public Opinion, Says Bernie Sanders

Washington — Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said Sunday that Israel is "losing the war" of worldwide public opinion as it seeks to eradicate Hamas in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack.

Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, told "Face the Nation" that Israel has the "right to defend itself" against Hamas, but it "cannot go to war against the Palestinian people and cause the horrific damage to human life that we are seeing right now."

"Israel is losing the war in terms of how the world is looking at this situation," he said.

• Transcript: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on "Face the Nation"

Citing the increasing death toll and displacement of civilians, Sanders said the U.S. "has got to put all of the pressure that it can to tell [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to stop this disastrous military approach."

"It is a humanitarian disaster," Sanders said.

Secretary of State Blinken said Thursday there's a "gap" between Israel's intent to protect civilians in Gaza and the "actual results." Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned earlier this month that Israel risked "strategic defeat" in Gaza if it does not do more to protect Palestinian civilians.

The Biden administration has been urging Congress to provide additional aid to Israel following the attack on Oct. 7. However, on Wednesday, the Senate voted against advancing a bill that would allocate billions of dollars in emergency spending, including aid for Israel and Ukraine. Senator Sanders, along with Republicans, voted against the bill due to their desire for increased border security and immigration measures. Sanders expressed concern about giving Prime Minister Netanyahu another $10 billion for the ongoing war, stating that Congress needs to make it clear that they will not support the killing of innocent civilians. While Sanders supports aid for Ukraine, he has not called for a permanent cease-fire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He believes that a humanitarian pause in the fighting is necessary to allow for the release of hostages and the delivery of aid. Sanders also expressed skepticism about the possibility of a permanent cease-fire with Hamas, citing their stated desire to destroy Israel and engage in a permanent war.