US Senator Bernie Sanders strongly criticized the extreme rhetoric of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir towards Lebanon. In a statement on the social media platform X, Sanders described Ben Gvir as a 'war criminal'.
Sanders said, "This is not an ordinary statement from an ordinary government official in a great country. This statement by Israeli National Security Minister Ben Gvir is the statement of a war criminal. The racist and extremist Israeli government does not deserve a single penny of American support."
Ben Gvir's controversial remarks
Itamar Ben Gvir had previously said in a social media post viewed nearly 19 million times, "For every tear an Israeli mother sheds, a thousand Lebanese mothers should cry and all of Lebanon should be burned."
Ben Gvir also argued, "With all due respect to the Americans, Israel must make it clear to the world that the blood of its children and the security of its citizens are not something to be played with," asserting that protecting Israeli citizens and the military comes above all else.
The Israeli minister, referring to closed-door meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had stated that the 'ping pong game' must end. Ben Gvir claimed that victory in the Middle East is not achieved through measured responses and limitations, but by 'inflicting pain and erasing' to defeat terror.
International reactions
Ben Gvir's remarks found wide resonance and were strongly condemned in international media and political circles. Officials and activists from around the world expressed their firm rejection of such calls, which openly incite war crimes and the burning of an entire country.
