"Trump's so-called 'peace
deal,'" warned the White House hopeful, "will only perpetuate the
conflict, and undermine the security interests of Americans, Israelis, and
Palestinians."
After U.S. President Donald
Trump on Tuesday unveiled his
long-awaited "peace deal" for the Israel-Palestine conflict, Sen.
Bernie Sanders condemned the proposal as "unacceptable" and called
for an end to Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories.
Sanders (I-Vt.), a top
candidate in the Democratic Party's 2020 presidential primary race, responded
to Trump's plan in pair of tweets, envisioning a U.S. policy that promotes
"a just and durable agreement."
The tweets aligned closely
with a statement from the senator's office, in which Sanders said any
acceptable deal "must end the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 and
enable Palestinian self-determination in an independent, democratic,
economically viable state of their own alongside a secure and democratic state
of Israel."
Sanders, who would be the
first Jewish president, added that "Trump's so-called 'peace deal' doesn't
come close, and will only perpetuate the conflict, and undermine the security
interests of Americans, Israelis, and Palestinians."
The White House hopeful's
comments Tuesday were not the first time Sanders has spoken out in recent
months for the Palestinian people. In October 2019, the senator suggested using
the billions of dollars in military aid that the United States supplies to
Israel each year to pressure Netanyahu's government to end its horrific
treatment of Palestinians.
The following month,
Sanders was
praised by progressives for saying during the Democratic presidential
debate that "we must treat the Palestinian people with the respect and
dignity they deserve."
Sanders was far from the only
lawmaker to decry Trump's
new plan, which was drafted under the direction of Jared Kushner—the
president's son-in-law and senior adviser—and unveiled at
the White House with Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren
(D-Mass.), one of Sanders' rivals in the primary race, tweeted Tuesday
that "Trump's 'peace plan' is a rubber stamp for annexation and offers no
chance for a real Palestinian state."
"Releasing a plan without
negotiating with Palestinians isn't diplomacy, it's a sham," Warren added.
"I will oppose unilateral annexation in any form—and reverse any policy
that supports it."
As Warren noted, Palestinian
leaders have not been involved with crafting Trump's deal. Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in a
televised address Tuesday: "I say to Trump and Netanyahu: Jerusalem is not
for sale, all our rights are not for sale and are not for bargain. And your
deal, the conspiracy, will not pass."
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