He might not officially be a Democrat, but that hasn’t stopped Bernie Sanders from entering the party’s growing fray over how to deal with Ilhan Omar.
Sanders came to the defense of Rep. Omar, D-Minn., on Wednesday amid growing pressure from within her party over a series of recent remarks that have been viewed by some as anti-Semitic.
“Anti-Semitism is a hateful and dangerous ideology which must be vigorously opposed in the United States and around the world,” the Independent Vermont senator said in a statement.
“We must not, however, equate anti-Semitism with legitimate criticism of the right-wing, Netanyahu government in Israel.
“Rather, we must develop an even-handed Middle East policy which brings Israelis and Palestinians together for a lasting peace.”
After that attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the 77-year-old socialist – who is Jewish – then got to the crux of his Omar defense.
“What I fear is going on in the House now is an effort to target Congresswoman Omar as a way of stifling that debate…That’s wrong,” the statement read.- READ MORE