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Bernie Sanders was recently unable to speak about his plans for Middle Eastern policy at the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee because of a campaign engagement in Utah. Rather than taking the hit, though, Sanders decided to deliver that same speech in Salt Lake City. This decision seems to have worked in Sanders’ favor, as he won big in Utah last night with 79% of the Democratic vote.
According to Samantha Lachman of The Huffington Post, “Presidential candidates who come to AIPAC tend to emphasize their ‘unwavering commitment’ to Israel’s security, with some warm anecdotes thrown in about past visits to the country and how much they loved it.” Sanders, on the other hand, was not afraid to address current problems.
“We are obligated to speak the truth as we see it, and that is what real friendship demands, especially in difficult times. It is important among friends to be honest and truthful about differences we may have.”
He was also clear about his definition of peace meaning peace for everyone, and argued that, in order for that type of peace to be reached, some things will have to change.
‘Peace will require the unconditional recognition by all people of Israel’s right to exist. It will require an end to attacks of all kinds against Israel.
Peace will require that organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah renounce their efforts to undermine the security of Israel. It will require the entire world to recognize Israel.
Peace has to mean security for every Israeli from violence and terrorism.
But peace also means security for every Palestinian. It means achieving self-determination, civil rights, and economic well-being for the Palestinian people.
Peace will mean ending what amounts to the occupation of Palestinian territory, establishing mutually agreed upon borders, and pulling back settlements in the West Bank, just as Israel did in Gaza – once considered an unthinkable move on Israel’s part.’
He also acknowledged that he is aware of the difficulty involved in making his plan a reality when he said, “Let me just conclude by saying this: the issues that I’ve discussed today are not going to be easily solved.” However, he also noted the responsibility of the United States “as the most powerful nation on earth,” to bring people together and “try to put together coalitions in the region to destroy ISIS.” He finished his speech by letting people know he was up to the challenge.
‘And that is a responsibility that I, if elected president, would accept in a very, very serious way. We have seen too many wars, too much killing, too much suffering. And let us all together – people of good faith – do everything we can to finally, finally bring peace and stability to that region.’
Watch Sanders’ entire speech below, courtesy of Bernie 2016 via YouTube.
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