A few weeks back folks sent me links saying that Bernie Sanders, presidential candidate from Vermont via Brooklyn, has dual citizenship with Israel. But the “documentation” for the claim was absurd. Well Diane Rehm, the public radio host, doesn’t think so. She interviewed Senator Sanders yesterday on public radio, WAMU. (Minute 24). They were talking Middle East politics.
Rehm: Senator, you have dual citizenship with Israel.
Sanders: No, I do not have dual citizenship with Israel! I’m an American. I don’t know where that questioning came from. I am an American citizen, and I have visited Israel on a couple of occasions, no, I’m an American citizen, period.
Rehm: I understand from a list we have gotten that you were on that list. Forgive me if that is—
Sanders: —that’s some of the nonsense that goes on in the internet. But that is absolutely not true.
Rehm: Interesting. Are there members of Congress who do have dual citizenship or is that part of the fable?
Sanders: I honestly don’t know, but I have read that on the internet. You know, my dad came to this country from Poland at the age of 17 without a nickel in his pocket, loved this country. I am, you know, get offended a little bit by that comment, and I know it’s been on the internet. I am obviously an American citizen and I do not have any dual citizenship.
Rehm apologized today. TPM:
“On yesterday’s show, I raised the issue of dual citizenship with senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders,” she said. “This is an issue that’s come up over the years in American politics.”
“One of our listeners suggested via Facebook that I ask Sen. Sanders about Internet speculation that he has dual citizenship with Israel,” she went on, “but instead of asking it as a question I stated it as fact, and that was wrong.”
Sanders is obviously attached to Israel in a generational Jewish way. He worked on a kibbutz there on graduating from college 50 years ago, service he seems to diminish in that response to Rehm. He sees Israel as a bulwark against Islamic radicals in the Middle East. BTW, Sanders endorsed the two-state solution in the interview. “I am not a very big fan of Prime Minister Netanyahu.” He did not attend Netanyahu’s horrifying speech to the joint session of Congress.
Laurence Zuckerman tweets:
@Tabletmag casts doubt on @SenSanders denial by saying he once worked on a kibbutz.
Even though he may not have dual American and Israeli citizenship, Sanders did in fact spend time at a Kibbutz in Israel after graduating college, the New York Times magazine reported in 2007 in an article entitled, “The Socialist Senator.”
B’nai Brith is very upset about Diane Rehm’s questioning and says it’s the dual loyalty canard.
NPR host Diane Rehm’s intense, offensive questioning of Jewish Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders about whether he is also an Israeli citizen reinforces tropes that Jews are first and foremost loyal to Israel.
On her June 10 program, Rehm stated: “Senator, you have dual citizenship with Israel.”
A startled Sanders emphatically stated he is an American citizen and does not hold Israeli citizenship, but Rehm pressed the matter again.
In a statement after the program, Rehm said: “”I want to apologize as well to all our listeners for having made an erroneous statement. I am sorry for the mistake. However, I am glad to play a role in putting this rumor to rest.”
But this goes well beyond poor journalistic judgment. We’ve seen this dual loyalty issue come up again and again.
I wonder if this canard has taken on a life of its own. Ala the claim that Obama was born in Kenya.
“We’ve seen this dual loyalty issue come up again and again.”
Yes, we have. And it deserves an answer. We finally got one, thanks to Rehm and Sanders. Now on to the candidate’s stance on the issues.
As Americans have seen over and over again, Administrations and Congresses have acted for Israel and often against US interests in order to pledge their loyalty for money. Questions about the status and allegiance of any dual citizen that is running for office is fair game, imho. Same goes for any appointees. Everything else is scrutinized~ why not this? Why is this the proverbial “third rail”?
I don’t think that this bears any resemblance to the false claims about President Obama and Kenya.
Not even remotely. Thanks, Phil.
Some of the comments at Israel National News for its article Jewish Dem Irked at Rumor He Has Dual Israeli Citizenship indicate that some right wing Israelis may be offended by Sanders for being offended himself.
B’nai Brith: “…whether he is also an Israeli citizen reinforces tropes that Jews are first and foremost loyal to Israel. “
Those tropes are often the truth. Look at Schmuly Boteach running for Congress. That man clearly is more pro-Israel than pro-American, which is why he was routed in the election in 2012. Voters went 3 to 1 for the other candidate.
Here is something that will irritate the war criminals in Tel Aviv”
“International Criminal Court planning to send delegation to examine complaints against Israel
Delegation to arrive in area by end of June, Palestinian officials say, adding that Russia and China promised to veto any U.S. proposal in Security Council to delay investigation.
A delegation from the prosecutor’s office of the International Criminal Court at The Hague is due to arrive in Israel on June 27 as part of the prosecution’s preliminary examination into whether war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to senior Palestinian sources.” Haaretz
Expect those they control in America to scramble and prevent this one too.
Good catch, Mr. Weiss.
Why is he trying to diminish his involvement where he can be questioned for that? And what do you mean, “service”? What service, to whom?
Something still smells bad.
Also, “attached to Israel in a generational Jewish way” is a phrase that more properly deserves the term “canard”. It’s also offensive. He’s of my generation, and I don’t recall having grown up with many “attached to Israel” people. The slow-witted ones who became Zionists did so after 1967.