Senator Bernie Sanders Slams Netanyahu’s White House Visit as “Shameful Day in America,” Accuses Trump and Biden of Enabling “Extremist” Israeli Government Amid ICC Arrest Warrant
In a stark and incendiary rebuke, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, D.C., on Monday, calling it “a shameful day in America.” The criticism follows the recent issuance of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alleging war crimes committed during the ongoing Gaza conflict.
Despite the fact that neither the United States nor Israel are members of the ICC, Sanders seized on the development to lambast both the Trump and Biden administrations for continuing to engage with what he described as a rogue regime. “Today, a war criminal under indictment from the ICC will be welcomed to the White House,” Sanders declared, in a statement that stunned Washington and drew fierce reactions from both sides of the aisle.
The Jewish senator, long known for his unrelenting criticism of Israeli policy, accused US leaders of enabling human rights violations. “Trump, like Biden before him, has aided and abetted the extremist Netanyahu government as it has systematically killed and starved civilians in Gaza,” he wrote, doubling down on accusations that have made him a polarizing figure even among Democratic colleagues.
Sanders’ denunciation adds to his record of anti-Israel legislative efforts. In November 2023, he introduced a resolution to block the sale of offensive weaponry to Israel, citing concern over civilian casualties in Gaza following the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on southern Israel. That resolution was soundly defeated in the Senate.
Undeterred, Sanders renewed his efforts in March 2024, filing a second legislative initiative to halt a $9 billion arms deal with Israel. The Senate once again rejected his resolution in April. These defeats have not stopped Sanders from vocally opposing military support to America’s closest ally in the Middle East.
Sanders has consistently labeled the Israeli government as “racist” and has urged the US to condition aid to Israel based on policy changes. Last year, he notably boycotted Netanyahu’s address to Congress, branding the Israeli leader a “war criminal”—language that has further distanced him from many in his own party and the wider Jewish community.
The timing of Sanders’ comments—coinciding with Netanyahu’s high-profile visit to the White House—was seen by critics as an attempt to undermine US-Israel relations at a time of heightened geopolitical tension. Supporters of Israel expressed alarm that a sitting US senator would use ICC charges—issued by a court to which the US itself does not belong—as a platform to delegitimize a democratically elected ally.
Netanyahu’s visit is focused on cementing strategic cooperation following the recent conflict with Iran and Hamas, but Sanders’ fiery rhetoric has shifted part of the conversation back to domestic divisions over the US’s longstanding support for Israel.
While the ICC charges are controversial and have been denounced by both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, Sanders’ alignment with the court’s allegations underscores a growing faction within US politics that seeks to redefine the American-Israeli alliance along ideological lines.
As Netanyahu’s visit continues, the fallout from Sanders’ remarks is expected to intensify debate not only about Israel’s actions in Gaza but also about the future of bipartisan support for the Jewish state in Washington.
