Washington, DC – Prominent United States Senator Bernie Sanders has described Israel’s assault on Gaza as a genocide, renewing his call for ending Washington’s “complicity in the slaughter of the Palestinian people”.Sanders’s statement on Wednesday came a day after a United Nations Commission of Inquiry released an extensive report that concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listThe US senator cited the statements of Israeli officials calling for the destruction and erasure of Gaza, as well as the growing death toll and famine in the territory.“The intent is clear. The conclusion is inescapable: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza,” Sanders said.The former presidential candidate, who remains a leading figure in the progressive movement, is the first US senator to call the Israeli offensive a genocide. Several members of the House of Representatives have previously done so.The UN defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”.The charge implies not just that Israel is violating the laws of war, but that it is trying to wipe Palestinians out of existence – one of the gravest offences under international law.Becca Balint says Israel is committing genocideOn Wednesday, Representative Becca Balint, who – like Sanders – is Jewish and represents the northeastern state of Vermont, also accused Israel of carrying out a genocide in Gaza.“As I write this, babies and young children are starving while the extremist Israeli government continues to withhold aid and commit acts of violence against civilians,” Balint said in an op-ed. Advertisement “The suffering goes beyond the tragic loss of life in …
