Sanders says Netanyahu made Israel 'almost a pariah state'

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Sunday said that while he recognizes Israel as a Jewish state, he argues that the recent decisions by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and actions taken by the Israeli government have made it "almost a pariah state."

During an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," Sanders was asked about recent moves made by Israel, which include Netanyahu's decision to further take over the Gaza Strip amid international criticism and growing calls in the U.S. to rein in the Israeli leader.

When asked whether he believes "in the notion of Israel as a Jewish state," Sanders said he did for "a lot of reasons," but said that recent moves made by the government have made it "almost a pariah state."

"Right now, what Netanyahu has done, what the Israeli government has done, is become almost a pariah state, and I fear very much that Israel now is looked in very, very unfavorable light by people all over the world, all over the world, not just in the United States," he said.

Sanders said Israel had a right to defend itself from the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack, when militants killed about 1,200 people and abducted 251, according to the Associated Press.

"Look, Israel had a right, of course, to defend itself from the terrible terrorist attack from Hamas, but what they have done since then is gone to war against the entire Palestinian people," Sanders said, adding that tens of thousands of people, including children, are starving in Gaza, noting that Netanyahu decided to "impose a blockade, preventing food to come in."

When asked whether Hamas is also at fault for starving people in Gaza, Sanders argued that Israel is, "with few exceptions, in control of the military situation."

"It is not Hamas," he continued. "Hamas is a terrible terrorist organization...and I certainly hope they have no future in a new Gaza Palestine. But the fault right now is 100 percent on the Netanyahu government."

His comments come after Netanyahu announced moves to escalate the conflict by expanding its military control of the Gaza Strip, which President Trump has given a tacit green light to.