Israel is a democracy and a reliable ally. Hamas and Islamic Jihad are neither reliable nor allies, but they are brutal dictators. #DemDebate https://t.co/y79mHOt63Y
— Democratic Majority for Israel (@DemMaj4Israel) November 21, 2019
Sanders also called for rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran to be at the negotiating table similar to the situation between the Israelis and the Palestinians. He said that Saudi Arabia “is not a reliable ally” and is a human-rights violator, as exemplified in the October 2018 alleged assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi embassy in Turkey.
“We’ve got to bring Iran and Saudi Arabia together in a room under American leadership, and say we are sick and tired of us spending huge amounts of money and human resources,” he said.
In terms of the Middle East being part of Wednesday’s debate, hosted by MSNBC and The Washington Post, Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) called out US President Donald Trump for withdrawing the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, after which he reimposed sanctions lifted under it, along with enacted new financial penalties against Tehran.
Additionally, Harris and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg roundly faulted Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) for secretly meeting in early 2017 with Syrian President Bashar Assad—a trip that the congresswoman has been repeatedly criticized for, in addition to not taking a strong stance against him.
Some of the candidates on stage criticized Trump for abruptly withdrawing US troops from northern Syria last month, saying the move, which has since been walked back with some troops back in the area, betrayed the Kurds, a loyal American ally.
Other foreign-policy issues touched upon were the threats from North Korea, China and Russia.
Finally, other issues discussed included, but were not limited to, the economy, health care, affordable housing, climate change and race relations.