Sen. Sanders condemns rising violence in West Bank, demands halt to US military aid to Israel

​​​​​​​By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday condemned Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank, citing rising Palestinian casualties and escalating illegal settler violence as he renewed his push to end US military assistance to Israel.

"In two years, Israel has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Every day, settlers attack Palestinian villages. Netanyahu & his extremist allies have one goal: annexation by force.

"The U.S. has enabled them. No more US military aid for Israel," Sanders wrote on US social media company X.

The Israeli army has escalated attacks in the West Bank since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

At least 1,080 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 11,000 injured in attacks by the army and illegal settlers in the occupied territory. More than 20,000 have also been arrested.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.