Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has criticized Israel’s heavy handed approach to the Palestinians. During last weeks CNN Democratic primary debate Sen. Bernie Sanders came out in defense of the downtrodden Palestinians bringing their plight to the attention of the media. “Bernie Sanders just shattered an American taboo on Israel,” according to a headline. The Washington Post reports: Some writers have pitched this as a “watershed moment” in Democratic Party politics. For the political class, perhaps it is. But public opinion surveys show that Sanders’s views are representative of many Americans, and particularly Democrats, who are critical of some Israeli policies yet remain favorable toward Israel. At the debate, the senator from Vermont stuck by a previous comment that the 2014 Israeli incursion into Gaza was “disproportionate.” Sanders further advocated a more balanced U.S. role in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, saying “there will never be peace in that region unless the United States plays a role, an even-handed role trying to bring people together and recognizing the serious problems that exist among the Palestinian people.” Survey results from the past decade demonstrate that a majority of Americans has consistently favored an impartial role for the United States in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. A CNN-ORC poll from 2015 [...]
