Congressman Praises Bernie Sanders’s Israel-Palestine Stance: “I Totally Agree With Him”

EARLIER THIS WEEK, Bernie Sanders laid out a position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that broke with U.S. political consensus, calling for a more balanced approach that recognizes both Israeli security and unfair treatment of Palestinians.

Few lawmakers have voiced similar views, even though Sanders’s position reflects a growing dissent on this issue among a new generation of Democratic voters. But this week, Kentucky Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth offered full support for Sanders’s position.

In remarks to The Intercept, Yarmuth praised Sanders for his stance, and explained why he thinks the U.S. needs a more nuanced policy.

“It’s certainly an honest appraisal of the situation to say that any attitude which is that Israel is always right and the Palestinians are always wrong is a dangerous attitude to have. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who are running for different offices who are comfortable in feeling that way or at least saying that, or implying that,” said the congressman. “No, I don’t think we can be constructive in that situation unless we recognize that we have to have an approach that recognizes reality. And the reality is that the Israelis have done a lot of provocative things as well as the Palestinians. Unless we find a way out of that tit-for-tat situation, it’s going to be hard to resolve.”

“The United States policy is that we oppose the settlements. Bernie said that the settlements were a bad thing. He didn’t say anything that wasn’t U.S. policy and I totally agree with him. … What they’re doing in East Jerusalem is incredibly provocative and I was there in 2011 and saw that. So we can’t just accept the rhetoric that comes out of Netanyahu’s mouth and say that this is the gospel and we ought to ignore everything else and I think that’s what Bernie was referring to.”

Watch his comments below:

Related:

• Bernie Sanders Won America’s Largest Arab Community by Being Open to Them
• Bernie Sanders Spoke Up for Suffering Palestinians, but Few in Broadcast Media Covered It
• Bernie Sanders Promises “Level Playing Field” on Israel-Palestine

Top photo: Palestinian and Israeli peace activists marching between Beit Jala and Jerusalem in January 2016.