Politico reports:

Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday the United States should use aid to Israel as leverage to force its government to change its approach.

“If you want this money, you got to change your military strategy, Sanders (I-Vt.) said on CNN’s “State of the Union” when asked about a possible aid package for Israel to be considered by the Senate.

But the two senators who followed Sanders on that program were much more concerned about what Iran might be up to than what Israel is doing.

Sanders condemned both Hamas (“an awful terrorist organization”) and the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (whom he hopes will be voted out), calling for a two-state solution to the intractable crisis but not specifying how to create a path forward without Hamas, Netanyahu or war.

Saying “Hamas has got to go,” Sanders said Israel needed to “go after Hamas but do not kill innocent men, women and children.”

He emphasized: “We’ve got to stop the bombing now.” [Continue reading…]