Bernie Sanders makes the case for Kamala Harris to pro-Palestinian critics

(CNN) — Hopes for changing US policy in Israel and Gaza, the fight against climate change, the battle for abortion rights – all of it, Sen. Bernie Sanders said on Monday night, would be dashed or defeated if Donald Trump wins reelection in November.

Vice President Kamala Harris, since becoming the Democratic nominee, has been challenged by pro-Palestinian, anti-war activists to either publicly advocate for conditioning military aid to Israel or, at a minimum, signal that she would break from President Joe Biden’s robust support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government.

On Monday night, Sanders placed himself among those critics as he made an impassioned case for Harris in a video posted to social media.

“I understand that there are millions of Americans who disagree with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on the terrible war in Gaza. I am one of them,” the Vermont independent said, speaking directly to camera, before stating again that “Israel had a right to defend itself against a horrific Hamas terrorist attack of October 7.”

Sanders was one of the first federal lawmakers to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and, though he moved more cautiously than many left-wing activists hoped for, soon emerged as one of the most vocal critics of Netanyahu on Capitol Hill and a relentless advocate for a change in US policy. In September, he announced plans to file a Senate resolution blocking the sale of offensive weaponry to Israel.

“Some of you are saying, how can I vote for Kamala Harris if she is supporting this terrible war? And that is a very fair question,” Sanders said in the video, after recounting the bloody toll the conflict has taken on Palestinians in Gaza.

Harris, who first called for a temporary ceasefire during a speech at the annual commemoration of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama, in March, and who backs a two-state solution in the region, has been under pressure for months from activists pleading with her to break from Biden.

During a brief meeting three weeks ago in Flint, Michigan, a group of Arab American advocates and leaders pressed Harris, as Wa’el Alzayat, the CEO of Muslim American advocacy group Emgage Action, told CNN afterward, “to show distance between how she would govern on this matter with the current administration policies, which we don’t agree with.”

Though she often reiterates her desire for an end to the war, occasionally in response to protesters interrupting her campaign speeches, Harris has stayed tight with Biden administration policy and talking points.

Making his case for Harris, Sanders argued – in short – that she can be convinced.

“I promise you, after Kamala wins, we will together do everything that we can to change US policy toward Netanyahu,” Sanders beseeched his viewers. “An immediate ceasefire, the return of all hostages, a surge of massive humanitarian aid, the stopping of settler attacks on the West Bank, and the rebuilding of Gaza for the Palestinian people.”

Before he spoke about Harris, though, Sanders asked voters to consider their options – starting with Trump.

“Donald Trump and his right-wing friends are worse,” Sanders said. “Trump has said Netanyahu is doing a good job and has said Biden is ‘holding him back.’ He has suggested that the Gaza Strip would make excellent beachfront property for development. And it is no wonder Netanyahu prefers to have Donald Trump in office.”

In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on the first anniversary of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack, Trump mused about real estate prospects in Gaza, home to roughly 2 million Palestinians before the war began.

“You know, as a developer, it could be the most beautiful place – the weather, the water, the whole thing, the climate,” Trump said. “It could be so beautiful.”

Gaza dominated the message, but Sanders also pointed to Trump’s opposition to abortion rights, support for additional tax cuts for the rich and refusal to directly answer a question about whether he supports a rise in the minimum wage.

“If Trump wins, to be honest with you, the struggle against climate change is over,” Sanders said. “While virtually every scientist who has studied the issue understands that climate change is real and an existential threat to our country and the world, Trump believes it is a hoax.”

Released about 24 hours after Trump’s controversial Madison Square Garden rally finished, Sanders in the video talks about watching the event on television.

“We have tried (for years) to fight against bigotry, but that is exactly what we saw on display at that unbelievable Trump rally,” Sanders said, recalling progressive fights against institutional bigotry.

“It was not a question of speeches, getting up there, disagreeing with Kamala Harris on the issues. That wasn’t the issue at all. They were attacking her simply because she was a woman and a woman of color. Extreme vulgar sexism and racism.

“Is that,” Sanders asked, “really the kind of America that we can allow?”

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