Washington, June 2 (RHC)-- Jewish U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, reacting to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s acceptance of an invitation to address both houses of the U.S. Congress, says: “It is a very sad day for our country.”

“Netanyahu is a war criminal.  I certainly will not attend.” 

Senator Sanders stressed that the Israeli regime forces have for months been unlawfully killing tens of thousands of innocent people since they launched the genocidal war on the Palestinians trapped in the besieged Gaza Strip after resistance groups launched a special retaliatory operation on October 7.

“Israel does not have the right to kill more than 34,000 civilians and wound over 80,000 – 5 percent of the population of Gaza. It does not have the right to orphan 19,000 children. It does not have the right to displace 75 percent of the people of Gaza from their homes,” he said.

According to the latest figures announced by Gaza's Health Ministry, so far close to 36,400 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip. 

The Senator from Vermont also emphasized that the Israeli regime forces do not have the right to block the flow of international humanitarian aid to Gaza, dismantle the land’s health care system and bomb its schools.  “It most certainly does not have the right to block humanitarian aid – food and medical supplies – from coming to the desperate people of Gaza, creating the conditions for starvation and famine.”

Bernie Sanders has previously said he would not attend any speech by Netanyahu in Congress, saying last week that Israel created “the worst humanitarian disaster in modern history.”