Straight Talk From Bernie Sanders on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

By CAROL GIACOMO

The only presidential candidate who spoke any real truth about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Monday was the one who did not attend the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the country’s largest pro-Israel group.

Instead of delivering his remarks in Washington to an audience of 18,000 AIPAC supporters, as his rivals did, Senator Bernie Sanders gave his Middle East speech in Utah, where he was campaigning, and was also interviewed on MSNBC’s All In With Chris Hayes.

The contrast with his competitors could not have been starker — and not just because he declined an invitation to attend the AIPAC gala, usually a command performance for any serious candidate. Mr. Sanders is the only Jewish candidate in the race and once spent several months living on an Israeli kibbutz. He was also the only candidate courageous enough on Monday to criticize Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s right-wing prime minister, and to show any understanding of Palestinian needs.

Like his rivals, Mr. Sanders, in his speech, emphasized a long-standing American commitment to “work tirelessly to advance the cause of peace as a partner and as a friend to Israel.”

But unlike the others, he also stressed that “to be successful, we have also got to be a friend not only to Israel, but to the Palestinian people”

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