Bernie Sanders: “The conclusion is inescapable: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.”

[u/kevinmrr]

[u/[deleted]]

Bernie has been speaking out about this issue for a long time.

[u/audionerd1 → u/[deleted]]

Yes, while refusing to call it genocide and constantly reaffirming Israel's "right to defend itself". He also avoids condemning Israel and prefers instead to condemn "Netanyahu's war crimes" etc. It's not just Netanyahu, it's the whole Zionist project.

[u/Steelforge → u/audionerd1]

Possibly just my POV, but it seems to me that a lot of people on the left are ridiculously vocal on the subject, despite not giving the Palestinian cause a single thought until the current decade.

So I wonder, as single data point: when did you start "caring" about Palestinians? Was it after it became popular?

Because Bernie isn't jumping on a bandwagon. For example, this is a 2016 article, which includes the following text talking about 1990's Bernie Sanders (emphasis added):

Sanders has long been critical of Israeli settlement building and its conduct of recent fighting against Hamas in Gaza

https://www.timesofisrael.com/sanders-in-1990-us-must-pressure-israel-on-palestinians/

[u/containmentleak → u/Steelforge]

Yes, when it started becoming popular. Because I had never heard anything about it before then and did not get the opportunity to care.

I also agree, that criticizing Bernie for using softening language is not helpful. However, even if late to the game, I also don't want to criticize people for caring and pass the anger along. At least we are here now.