U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Newsmax on Thursday criticized Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for calling the situation in Gaza a "slaughter," saying he should "know better" and base his remarks on accurate information.
Appearing on "American Agenda," Huckabee reacted to a recent CNN interview in which anchor Dana Bash asked Sanders if Hamas bore any responsibility for starvation in Gaza. Sanders replied, "No." He added, "Right now, what is going on is a slaughter."
"What the senator said is just embarrassing," Huckabee said. "Not only is it wrong, it's embarrassing. He should know better, and he should speak better. He should get better facts, because what he's saying is simply not the truth. People are starving in Gaza because of Hamas. No other reason."
Huckabee said Israel has delivered "2 million tons of food into Gaza" and that the United States has provided "over 121 million meals through the GHF [Global Humanity Foundation] feeding program." He alleged Hamas steals "about 90%" of incoming food and sells it on the black market, earning $500 million last year from stolen relief supplies.
"That's what we ought to be angry about," Huckabee said. "Not angry at Israel. Angry at Hamas."
Huckabee also addressed accusations that Israel is committing genocide. "If that's genocide, what they're doing, they're really, really bad at it," he said. "They could have committed genocide on October the 8 and wiped everybody out. Why didn't they? Because they do have a sense of moral duty to try to protect civilians."
He said Israel announces strikes in advance to allow civilians to evacuate, but that Hamas "gathers the civilians and puts them right in front of the announced target and shoots anyone that leaves."
"When you hear about mass casualties, it's because Hamas wants there to be mass casualties," Huckabee said.
Huckabee praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "a terrific statesman" capable of leading the country through conflicts involving Gaza, Iran and Yemen's Houthi rebels. "His resolve is something that really is reflective of the Israeli public, which is both resilient and incredibly resolved to stand up and never to give in to those who wish to kill them," he said.
At the exclusive Newsmax's fourth annual Fourth of July celebration in Jerusalem, Netanyahu thanked Newsmax for its coverage before outlining Israel's approach to the war in Gaza.
He said Israel could "bomb them [Hamas] like the Allies bombed Dresden" or "starve them" if it acted on false accusations, but instead works to separate civilians from terrorists and issues advance warnings before strikes to limit casualties.
Netanyahu also accused Hamas of forcing civilians into targeted areas and blocking evacuations to maximize deaths for propaganda purposes.
Huckabee, who attended the Newsmax event, praised the network for hosting what he called a "historic moment."
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.