US presidential candidate and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders speaks at a rally at Brooklyn College in New York, March 2, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Andrew Kelly.

Ex-US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley slammed 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Monday over his announced boycott of next week’s American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington, DC.

Sanders, Haley pointed out, “has never attended and has no clue what the organization is about or what it stands for.”

“Go back to defending [Fidel] Castro and socialist dictators,” the former South Carolina governor and potential future Republican presidential candidate added. “We will go back to defending peace, democracy, and our ally Israel.”

Bernie Sanders announces he is not going to @AIPAC. To be clear, has never attended and has no clue what the organization is about or what it stands for. Go back to defending Castro and socialist dictators. We will go back to defending peace, democracy, and our ally Israel.

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 24, 2020

In a statement on Sunday, Sanders — who has emerged as the frontrunner in the ongoing contest for the Democratic nomination — said, “The Israeli people have the right to live in peace and security. So do the Palestinian people. I remain concerned about the platform AIPAC provides for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights. For that reason I will not attend their conference. As president, I will support the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians and do everything possible to bring peace and security to the region.”

The Israeli people have the right to live in peace and security. So do the Palestinian people. I remain concerned about the platform AIPAC provides for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights. For that reason I will not attend their conference. 1/2

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 23, 2020

Responding to the Vermont senator, AIPAC said, “Senator Sanders has never attended our conference and that is evident from his outrageous comment. In fact, many of his own Senate and House Democratic colleagues and leaders speak from our platform to the over 18,000 Americans from widely diverse backgrounds — Democrats, Republicans, Jews, Christians, African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, members of the LBGTQ+ community — who participate in the conference to proclaim their support for the US-Israel relationship.”

“By engaging in such an odious attack on this mainstream, bipartisan American political event, Senator Sanders is insulting his very own colleagues and the millions of Americans who stand with Israel,” AIPAC continued. “Truly shameful.”

Senator Sanders has never attended our conference and that is evident from his outrageous comment.

Full statement: https://t.co/XDcNKhYXSq pic.twitter.com/aJGJiv2wv8

— AIPAC (@AIPAC) February 24, 2020