US senator says Israel becoming ‘pariah state,’ urges halt to American military aid

US Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday that Israel is "becoming almost a pariah state" over its war in Gaza and urged the US to halt military aid to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, accusing it of committing war crimes.

Asked if he believes in the notion of Israel as a Jewish state during CNN's "State of the Union" program, Sanders said he does, but added Netanyahu's actions have eroded global goodwill.

"What the Israeli government has done is become almost a pariah state," he said, referring to Israel's war on Gaza. "I fear very much that Israel now is looked at in a very unfavorable light by people all over the world, not just in the United States."

Sanders described the ongoing situation as "a slaughter," citing more than 60,000 Palestinian deaths, most of them women and children.

He noted his recent resolution to block US weapons transfers to Israel drew support from 27 Senate Democrats but no Republicans. "United States taxpayers should not be funding Netanyahu," he said.

Israel is facing mounting condemnation for its genocidal war on Gaza, where it has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.