Tag: abbas

The Jewish Problem of people like Bernie Sanders

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

US Senator Bernie Sanders likes to use his Jewish heritage as a way to defend himself as he attacks Jews and Israel. He uses his personal hatred of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a way to batter Israel and put Jews in the US and around the world in danger. He chooses to tell half truths and outright lies in his frantic, yelling style in an attempt to make them true.

Earlier this week, on December 16, 2025, he chose not to sign onto a joint statement issued Monday December 15, 2025, by Jewish Senate Democrats condemning the Sydney attack with a weak excuse about an earlier statement about antisemitism. This is the essence of Bernie Sanders. Lie, yell, deflect, and spew hatred against those you dislike, all while becoming wealthy while pretending to be one of the people.

This week he issued a very troubling statement, criticizing Netanyahu who linked the terror attack in Sydney, Australia, to Australian PM Canberra’s recognition for a Palestinian state. In the statement, he made four critical claims that need to be addressed. I’m sharing my thoughts on each of them.

DISCLAIMER: I am not going down the rabbit hole of ‘is there a Palestine or Palestinian people’? That is not a helpful or useful dialogue as the people exist and that’s how they are choosing to identify. That debate only creates division and doesn’t move us towards any hope for a better future.

Claim number 1: “No, Mr. Netanyahu. Speaking out on behalf of the Palestinian people is not antisemitic.

Here his claim in correct. Speaking out on behalf of the Palestinian people is certainly not antisemitic. Ignoring how they are damaged by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas while putting all the blame on Israel is 100% antisemitic. When I visited and met with leaders of Palestinian civil society in 2019, there were a number of things that were very clear. First, they had some major issues with the Israeli government and government policies. Many of their issues I agree with. Secondly, they had no use for the PA. The corruption of the PA, the lack of elections had the people I met with who were not on the PA’s payroll united that they were useless and harmful to the Palestinian people. Endorsing a Palestinian state that wants to eliminate Israel, that doesn’t hold elections, that has a government that rewards violence and the murder of Jews, is problematic. There is a very big difference between speaking out on behalf of the Palestinian people and blaming Israel for everything. Senator Sanders blames Israel for everything.

When I ran Hillel at UF, I used to publicly wonder why I was more pro-Palestinian than those in Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). I wanted there to be a Palestinian state with free elections. A place with a thriving Palestinian economy, Palestinian universities staffed with Palestinian professors, meeting in buildings built by Palestinian construction companies. Places that turned out Palestinian doctors and nurses that worked in Palestinian hospitals that were built by those Palestinian construction companies. And most importantly, one that lived in peace with their neighbor, Israel. People like Bernie Sanders simply want no Israel. They don’t care when Hamas murders the civilians in Gaza. They don’t care when Hamas starves the people of Gaza. They only want to blame Israel. So yes, Senator Sanders, speaking out on behalf of the Palestinian people is not antisemitic but when you do so only to blame and vilify Israel, it certainly is.

Claim Number 2: Opposing the disgraceful policies of your extremist government is not antisemitic.

Senator Sanders claims that opposing the policies of a government is not antisemitic. He is 100% correct. There is nothing wrong with opposing the policies of a government. Even in thinking and staying that they are ‘disgraceful’ or calling the government ‘extremist’. That’s the beauty of a democracy. The protests in Israel against the current government have been massive. I was able to watch one outside my hotel in Jerusalem last year. It was amazing to see. The protests were non-violent. There is absolutely nothing wrong with opposing the policies of a duly elected, democratic government. The problem is that Senator Sanders doesn’t oppose the brutal government of Hamas in Gaza. He doesn’t speak out against the government of the Palestinian Authority, elected to a 4-year term on January 9, 2005! For all of Senator Sanders outspoken worries about President Trump not leaving after his term, he supports and doesn’t criticize Mahmoud Abbas, now finishing year 20 of a 4-year term! What hypocrisy!

People like Bernie Sanders hide behind their claims of criticizing the government while actually criticizing the legitimacy of the State of Israel. All they have to do is watch as hundreds of thousands of Israelis protest against the government, peacefully. They can watch disagreements in the Knesset, read the Israeli papers that criticize the government. Instead, they allow their hatred of Bibi Netanyahu to put all Jews around the world at risk.

Claim Number 3: Condemning your genocidal war, which has killed more than 70,000 people — mostly women and children — is not antisemitic.

The facts prove that there is no genocide in Gaza. According to a recent report by President Trump, there have been 67,000 deaths in Gaza with 58,000 of them being Hamas fighters. The 67,000 number comes directly from the Gaza Ministry of Health (Hamas). This means that the civilian to combatant ratio is 0.16 to 1. Israel has consistently reported the ratio in the 1:1 or 1.5:1 ratio. The UN average, or what is permissible in every war that doesn’t involve Israel, is 9 to 1. Facts matter except when it comes to Bernie Sanders and Israel. The data also shows that most of those killed in Gaza are not women and children but are men. Once again, Bernie lies.

Hamas uses women and children as human shields. They use the sick and the elderly as human shields. None of that matters to Bernie Sanders. His hatred for Netanyahu and his hatred of Israel means that he spreads the lies about genocide, putting all Jews at risk. That is antisemitic. Spreading the genocide libel is antisemitic.

Ignoring the actual genocides ongoing in the world while lying about a fake one is antisemitic. Christians are being massacred in Nigeria for the crime of being Christian. Sudan is experiencing the world’s worst displacement crisis and one of the world’s worst hunger crises with nearly 25 million people in need of assistance. No Jews, No News.

As for the fake genocide, the population in Gaza has actually INCREASED since the start of the war. If this was a genocide, it would make it the worst attempt at genocide in history.

Claim Number 4: Demanding that your government stop bombing hospitals and starving children is not antisemitic.”

Allowing Hamas to use hospitals as military bases while condemning Israel for attacking the sites that are firing rockets and missiles at them is antisemitic. The demand should be that Hamas stop using hospitals as military sites. Their use of hospitals as military sites is a war crime. No questions about it. Except that they are doing it against Jews, which is always the exception to a crime. Bernie and his crew totally miss the target here. Hamas digs tunnels under hospitals to use them as military sites. That’s the outrage. Hamas hid hostages in hospitals, that’s the outrage. Claiming Israel and the Jews are randomly bombing hospitals is not only wrong, it puts Jews at risk around the world.

The claim of starving children is yet another lie. There are plenty of images of literal tons of food and aid being delivered to Gaza and sitting there, being undelivered, by UNRWA and the Red Cross. They refused Israel’s support in delivering the food, demanding that Hamas help them deliver the food and aid. The same Hamas that was stealing the food. The same Hamas that was selling the food on the black market. When the complaint from the people of Gaza is that the free food is too expensive, the problem is easy to see. Yet Bernie and his crew ignore the facts to once again blame the Jews.

Earlier this month, it was discovered that Hamas hid tons of baby formula to damage Israel with starvation claims. The images are damning. Yet the media ignores the truth and runs with the lies. People like Bernie run with the lies because it gets them time on TV, headlines in the paper, and helps make them rich. They don’t care about the people in Gaza, those in the hospitals being used as military bases, or the mothers who can’t feed their babies. They only care about blaming the Jews. The facts bear this out.

This isn’t to claim that Israel is blameless or perfect. This isn’t to say that criticism of Israel is automatically antisemitism. When it’s clear that Israel is being singled out, held to a different standard, the lies are getting the headlines while the truth gets buried, that is antisemitism.

People like Bernie Sanders put my life and my family’s life at risk. What happened at Bondi Beach on the first night of Hanukkah could have happened at any Hanukkah celebration around the world. It could happen at one that my family is attending. If you doubt that, read these accountings from the past WEEK in New York, published in this NY Post article.

In just the last few days, multiple alarming episodes of open Jew-hatred have shocked New York City.

Saturday night in a tony West Village eatery, a Jewish woman asked a bigot to cool it with his noisy antisemitic language. He screamed filthy slurs at her, calling her an “ugly f–king Zionist,” insisting, “we will rid this country of f–king you.”

Monday night in Brooklyn, a pair of nasty bigots harassed Hanukkah celebrants, and yelled “F–k the Jews” on a subway platform.

Once on the train, one thug grabbed a visibly Jewish man by the throat and threatened to kill him.

Then, Tuesday afternoon in Crown Heights, an unhinged pedestrian shouted antisemitic remarks at passersby and stabbed one in the chest.

This is New York. The United States of America. 2025. I’m afraid of what 2026 will bring with people like Bernie Sanders making outlandish and false claims against Israel and the Jews. We must stop the lies now. We must hold the liars accountable for their lies that incite violence. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. Inciting violence is a crime and that’s what Bernie Sanders continues to do. He can hate Benjamin Netanyahu all he wants. He can hate Israel all he wants. He can even hate his Jewish heritage if he wants. He isn’t entitled to incite violence against people like me and my family.

It’s time to put an end to the hate. It’s time to demand more from people like Bernie Sanders.

The 2 state delusion?

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

As the hostages begin day 123, the war between Israel and Hamas continues with hand to hand combat inside the tunnels, things get more heated in the north with Hezbollah, and the US-England partnership is bombing the Houthis and Syria in retribution for the 3 soldiers murdered by Iran and 40+ injured, I find myself in disbelief at the world stage and what’s going on in the United States.

Montana Tucker at the Grammy’s highlighting the hostages and urging to ‘Bring them home’. Very different than Annie Lennox asking for a cease fire that only benefits Hamas and that Hamas rejected.

Calls for a ceasefire continue to grow even though Hamas has publicly stated that there will be no ceasefire nor any peace as long as Israel exists.  Not as long as Israel has soldiers in Gaza, but as long as Israel exists.  Today, Hamas rejected another ceasefire offer yet the pressure remains on Israel to simply stop defending herself. Israel has basically stopped the bombing and is engaged in hand-to-hand combat in the tunnels, trying to free the hostages.  These calls for a ceasefire are unilateral for Israel, not forcing Hamas to release the hostages and surrender.  It’s as if October 7th never happened. 

The newest twist has been the call to require a 2 state solution as part of the end to hostilities.  Not only are Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) committed to there being no Israel, both have no interest in a 2 state solution.  Yet the US and Europe are obsessed with this currently impossible solution.  Can you imagine if after 9/11 the US was required to have the Taliban as a new state on the northern AND southern border?  Instead of dividing Germany after WWII can you imagine allowing the Nazi’s to remain in power of a demilitarized state in the same location with evil countries feeding them weapons and bombs despite the demilitarized requirement?

It’s not that a 2-state solution is never possible.  It’s not possible now.  In 2019, when I spent time with leaders of Palestinian civil society, I was amazed when some of the brightest people around told me that if there were elections, they would probably vote for Hamas because the PA did nothing and while Hamas probably would also do nothing, there was at least a chance they might do something to benefit them.  New leadership is needed for the Palestinians.  Leadership that wants to live in peace with their neighbor Israel.  My friend Ali Abu Awwad, founder of the Taghyeer movement, focuses on Palestinian non-violence, change, and living in peace with their neighbor Israel.  He speaks openly, stating, “peace will not come through Jewish blood.  It will come from Jewish hearts.”  That’s the type of leadership needed for peace and a functional Palestinian state. 

My friend Ali Abu Awwad is the voice for the future. Click on the link above with his name and read about a new way forward through Palestinian non-violence and trust. 

Elliot Abrams wrote a beautiful and powerful article about The Two State Delusion on February 5th that should be required reading by all of our elected officials.  We cannot want peace more than the PA, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran do.  Until there is a modern-day Sadat and a modern day Begin, there simply isn’t a path to peace or a 2 state solution. 

Sadat and Begin – great leaders who risked everything for peace. It cost Sadat his life yet the peace holds 44 years later.

I try to imagine or find any other country that is told by their allies and the world that they don’t have the right to defend themselves.  A single country that is told they can’t keep their citizens safe.  Imagine rockets were being fired at the US from Canada and Mexico.  How long would it take for us to level the country?   Three US deaths and 40+ injured on January 28 by terrorists has resulted in the reported deaths of between174 to 225 civilians due to U.S. drone strikes in Yemen.  There is no outrage as we understand that when attacked, the accidental death of civilians occurs.  It is one of the horrors of war and why war should be a last resort, not a first action.  The terrorists of Hamas view it just the opposite.  For them, civilian deaths should be high because it helps their cause.  They do what they can to ensure that civilians are used as human shields and are put in harm’s way.  If you doubt that, ask yourself how many rocket launchers, grenades, bombs, and rifles are kept in your child’s school.  As yourself when you go to the hospital, if there are rooms there where rocket launchers, grenades, bombs, and rifles are kept.  When you go to worship, ask the religious leader to see the rocket launchers and armory they keep. 

I wear my dog tags every day.  One says “bring them home now” and the other says “we will dance again”.  Along with my Magen David (star of David), this guy who only wore an apple watch for years wears these proudly displayed outside my shirt.  I have masking tape I have begun to wear counting the days the hostages have been kept.  Today I will sadly write 123 on the masking tape and put it on my shirt.  Yesterday I wore my “I stand with Israel” sweatshirt with the blue ribbon attached for the hostages.  At the grocery store a number of people asked about my sweatshirt and commented.  No comments were negative, which surprised me. At the bank today, the teller asked me about 123 and when I told her, she shared empathy and said she’d pray for the hostages.

We are truly in a battle for our lives.  There are many in the Jewish community who want to downplay this.  They want to say it’s about Israel and Zionism or the Netanyahu government.  I spoke with my US representative yesterday and we discussed the difference between the government and some of the elected officials in Israel and compared them to members of our US government.  They are people who are held accountable to the electorate.  Just as the current US administration will be held accountable in November with elections where they job performance is evaluated by voters, so too will the Israeli government either at the end of their terms or earlier if the government falls (the difference between the US and Israel’s parliamentary system).  This is very unlike in Gaza where there have not been elections since 2007.  Or the PA where Mahmoud Abbas was elected on January 9, 2005, to serve as President of the Palestinian National Authority for a 4-year term.  He is now 19 years into his 4-year term.  Where is the outrage? 

We are seeing the world once again blame the Jews.  We are held collectively responsible for the hatred against us.  Just as 9/11 was labeled a Jewish conspiracy by many, today it’s Covid-19.  We are accused of blood libels, controlling the banks and the media.  The 2021 book by Dara Horn, People Love Dead Jews, calls back to the words of former Prime Minister Golda Meir, who famously was quoted stating, “If we have to have a choice between being dead and pitied, and being alive with a bad image, we’d rather be alive and have the bad image.” Israel gets this.  Many in the diaspora get this.  Unfortunately, we still have many, such as Peter Beinart and Norman Finkelstein, who don’t get it yet have the public stage.  And the media loves to give attention to those who hate us and want us dead.

A powerful book – they love us when we are dead

I heard Peter Beinart speak in Seattle and met him afterwards. He will excuse Jew hatred and make it our fault until we are all dead.

Norman Finkelstein is the son of Holocaust survivors and one of the worst at excusing Jew hatred and blaming Jews for everything. He is vile.

The current situation reminds me of both The Emperor’s New Clothes and something that happened when I was in High School.  We all know the story of The Emperor’s New Clothes.  When I was in High School, we had a kid in my homeroom who had many issues.  One day he stood in front of a bulletin board in the hallway with a cigarette lighter in his hand as he lit the paper on the bulletin board on fire.  When somebody asked him why he was lighting the bulletin board on fire, he looked right at them and said, “I’m not lighting the bulletin board on fire.”  The worldwide Jewish community is under attack and no matter how much we want to pretend we have beautiful clothes; we are naked.  And no matter what is said, the bulletin board is being lit on fire.  We can either wake up, speak up, speak out, and counter the lies and blood libel being spread or we can whimper away and revisit the horrors of the past.  I agree with Golda and would rather be alive.  I will continue to call out the nakedness and the bulletin board being lit on fire.  Pretending otherwise only ensures our destruction.  I hope you decide to join me.

Golda Meir understood that unless we stand up for ourselves, nobody else will.

Am Yisrael Chai.