From left: Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Becca Balint and Sen. Peter Welch. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
The three members of Vermont’s congressional delegation on Wednesday, for the first time publicly, called Israel’s military campaign in Gaza a genocide, according to their offices.
U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., used the term in an op-ed she published Wednesday about the Middle East conflict on the news website Courier. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., published a statement on his website Wednesday bluntly titled, “It Is Genocide.” U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., used the word in a Senate floor speech Wednesday.
The delegation’s statements come a day after an independent United Nations commission released a report finding that Israel has committed four “genocidal acts” since Hamas’ brutal attack on the country on Oct. 7, 2023. This week, Israel also launched a long-threatened ground assault on the major population center Gaza City.
According to Balint’s office, the second-term representative is the first Jewish member of the U.S. House to describe Israel’s offensive — which is estimated to have killed more than 65,000 people since the 2023 attack — as a genocide.
Balint wrote that “it is not easy” for her to call Israel’s actions a genocide, because her grandfather was murdred in the Holocaust and she has “an emotional connection to Israel beacuse it was a refuge after the genocide against the Jews.”
However, she continued, “the trauma of the Holocaust serves as a reminder of the power of speaking out. I feel compelled to speak out because I know there are so many others like me who are horrified by what they see.”
Sanders, in a separate statement Wednesday, also referred to the UN report. The commission’s findings have been strongly condemned by Israel’s government.
“I recognize that many people may disagree with this conclusion,” Sanders said of his decision to use the word “genocide.” “The truth is, whether you call it genocide or ethnic cleansing or mass atrocities or war crimes, the path forward is clear. We, as Americans, must end our complicity in the slaughter of the Palestinian people.”
Welch spoke on the Senate floor about the conflict ahead of a vote on a resolution he was leading that called for food and humanitarian aid delivery to starving children in Gaza. The measure, which was sponsored by more than 40 other Democratic senators, was not approved.
“There are many labels that could apply to what is happening in Gaza today. And whatever label is used — a war crime, or crimes against humanity, or ethnic cleansing, or genocide — one thing is clear. This must end,” Welch said. “It’s not just about giving a name or a label. It is about saving lives.”