Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VA) on "Face the Nation" | Mar. 03

Interview

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"Good morning.

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Well, I have spoken to people very high up in his administration.

Here's the bottom line, Margaret. What we are seeing in Gaza today is literally an unprecedented crisis. It's not just that 30,000 people, two- thirds of whom are women and children, have already been killed. We are looking at the possibility of hundreds of thousands of children starving to death.

The United States of America cannot be complicit in this mass slaughter of children. So it is one thing to talk to Netanyahu to pressure Netanyahu. But here is the bottom line. Year after year, we have provided billions of dollars in military aid to the government of Israel.

Right now, you have a right-wing extremist government under Netanyahu. There are plans to provide him with another $10 billion in unfettered military aid. What you can't say to Netanyahu, stop the slaughter, allow the massive amounts of humanitarian aid that we need to come in to feed the children, please, please, please. Oh, but by the way, if you don't do it, here's another $10 billion to continue the war.

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Now, we have written a letter to the president.

It turns out that Israel is in violation of the law. Stopping American humanitarian aid – is in violation of the law. That should be clear. No more money to Netanyahu's war machine to kill Palestinian children.

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Well, I think it is the right thing to do.

You can't beg Netanyahu. You got to tell him, if you want any money, you got to change your policy. Allow the trucks to come in to feed their children. And, by the way, in terms of politics…

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… which is secondary, to my mind, in this issue, the truth is, whether you're a conservative Republican or a progressive, you do not want to see children in Palestine starve to death.

So I think it's good politics, and it's the moral and right thing to do.

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Look, what you have – what you need right now is a cease-fire tomorrow, so that the trucks, the massive amount of humanitarian aid can come in to feed the people who are starving.

But you have Hamas is dedicated to destroying Israel. You have the Netanyahu – Netanyahu government, which is dedicated to destroy Hamas. I think, at the end of the day, Hamas cannot continue to run Gaza, and the Netanyahu government cannot continue to run Israel if we're ever going to leave – bring peace to that region.

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To feed the children right now is…

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… what we've got to exactly do.

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Look, Margaret, 1.7 million Palestinians, 80 percent of their population, have been driven from their homes and displaced.

Many of them end up in Rafah. To go in there and to displace them again and start a major military campaign would be an unmitigated disaster. So, my view is, of course, we cannot support an attack of that kind on Rafah.

Bottom line is, though, Netanyahu has got to be told, no more money for his war machine unless there is humanitarian aid coming in to feed the people.

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Well, look, the contrast that I think President Biden made it very clear in his State of the Union address, if you believe that climate change is real, you've got to vote for President Biden.

If you believe that women have a right to control their own bodies, you've got to vote for President Biden. If you think that, at a time of massive income and wealth inequality, you don't give trillions of dollars in tax breaks to the 1 percent, you've got to vote for Biden. If you want to lower the cost of prescription drugs, you've got to vote for Biden.

If you believe in democracy and involving people in the process, rather than keeping people from voting, you have to vote for Biden.

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So I am, in short…

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I am saying we've got to come – not put it aside. The fight continues to change Biden's policy in Gaza.

But the contrast between Biden and Trump is day and night. The election of Trump would be a disaster for this country and, in my view, the world. We've got to come together, reelect Biden. But, at the same time, we have to demand that we have a progressive agenda, where we have an economy that works for all, not just a few.

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Well, no, I'm not supporting Mr. Trump. No, I…

(LAUGHTER)

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The election of Trump would be – yes. That's right.

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SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: Thank you."

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