“It will be the first time in American history that a war criminal has been given that honor,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders.

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, all three members of Vermont’s delegation were conspicuously absent. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., announced they would skip the event to protest Netanyahu’s policies surrounding Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. 

Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday, Sanders called Netanyahu “a right-wing extremist and a war criminal” who “should not be welcome in the United States Congress.”

Sanders cited the International Criminal Court’s application for warrants of arrest against both Netanyahu and top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar charging the Israeli prime minister with “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare” and “intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population.”

In his 20-minute speech, Sanders made the case that Netanyahu had created “one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern history…aided and abetted by U.S. taxpayer dollars and weapons.”

“So, as you stand up and applaud that guy, remember the starving children,” Sanders said.

Also speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday, Welch said that while he welcomed “constructive discussion” on how to end the war in Gaza, he was “not interested in participating in a political stunt.”

Welch echoed Sanders’ concerns about the U.S.’s role in the war, saying that it “has been carried out with our warplanes, our tanks, our guns, our bombs, missiles and bullets,” as well as the toll on children killed or seriously injured in Gaza. 

“Today, my colleagues and I sent a letter to the ambassadors of Israel and Egypt, calling on them to work together, with the full cooperation of the United States, so these children can leave Gaza and get the medical care they desperately need,” Welch said. 

And in a statement Wednesday, Balint said Netanyahu “should be spending every waking moment working to bring the hostages home, securing a ceasefire, and ending this catastrophic war.”

“His address before Congress will not further the goals of peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, but rather will serve as a distraction from the Prime Minister’s failure of leadership,” Balint said.

According to the statement, Balint will “instead join families of the hostages taken in the October 7 attack for counter programming.”

In a video uploaded to the Vermont Republican Party’s YouTube channel, chair Paul Dame called the delegation’s boycott of Netanyahu’s speech “disgraceful.” 

“I can’t imagine what a horrible message that sends to our allies around the world,” Dame said. 

He continued: “To see all three turn their backs on an important ally sets a new low for the representation that Vermont has at the federal level.”

Sanders, Welch and Balint were not alone in their absence. Several key congressional Democrats also said they would be skipping out, among them the president pro tempore of the Senate, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and the majority whip, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who would typically preside over such a joint session, was not present due to scheduling conflicts with her presidential campaign.

Story Written by  Juan Vega de Soto, VTDigger

Story Link: https://vtdigger.org/2024/07/24/vermont-delegation-boycotts-netanyahus-address-to-congress/