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Bernie Sanders (Religion) (view source)
Revision as of 16:06, 10 February 2016
, 16:06, 10 February 2016→Israel
A New York Jew by upbringing and culture, Sanders embraces his heritage, but keeps his religious beliefs relatively obscured. His views on the Israeli-Palestinian seem to be unaffected by his heritage, as he believes the United States should mediate a two-state solution, ensuring that both Palestine and Israel are given deals that would create and uphold a homeland for both parties.
Despite being a member of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), Sanders has never been exorbitantly pro-Israel. In fact, he currently has a +2 voting record from the AAI (American Arab Institute). Sanders' most notable acknowledgements of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have been few and far between, and do not definitively suggest that he takes a side. After endorsing Jesse Jackson's, who is notoriously pro-Palestine, 1988 Presidential campaign, Sanders shed some light on his stance in the matter. This address, which was delivered on the heels of the first intifada's beginning, criticized Israeli violence against Palestinian civilians inhabiting Israeli-controlled settlements. Later in this address, Sanders remarked, "“If the United States goes into the Middle East and demands a reasonable, a responsible, and a peaceful solution to the conflict that has gone there because of its clout because of the tremendous amounts of money that it is pouring into that region I think we can do it.” This idea has, to date, been the thesis under which Sanders directs all of his votes, policies, and rhetoric as they relate to Israel-Palestine.
More recently, Sanders voted in favor the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, otherwise known as the Iran Deal. This deal, which was crafted with the idea of inhibiting Iran's access to nuclear weaponry while lifting or ameliorating the sanctions against Iran. On his campaign website, Sanders cites the Iran deal as a necessary means of ensuring Israel's safety while concurrently avoiding another military campaign in the Middle East.
