US Senator Bernie Sanders has sharply criticized the decision to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress, labeling him a "war criminal." Sanders, a leftist independent, expressed deep disappointment with congressional leaders from both parties for extending the invitation.

"It is a very sad day for our country that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited – by leaders from both parties – to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress," Sanders stated. "Netanyahu is a war criminal. He should not be invited to address a joint meeting of Congress. I certainly will not attend."

The invitation to Netanyahu was extended on Friday by a bipartisan group of congressional leaders, including Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

Netanyahu is likely to deliver his address following the August Congressional recess.

Sanders criticizes war on Gaza

Sanders has been a vocal critic of Netanyahu and the Israeli government's actions in Gaza. He condemned the ongoing violence and the humanitarian crisis, highlighting the high civilian death toll and the extensive destruction in the besieged Palestinian strip.

"Israel does not have the right to kill more than 34,000 civilians and wound over 80,000 – 5 percent of the population of Gaza. It does not have the right to orphan 19,000 children. It does not have the right to displace 75 percent of the people of Gaza from their homes," Sanders declared.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, the Israeli the total death toll of the Israeli onslaught is 36,379 martyrs and 82,407 wounded.

Moreover, Sanders criticized the blockade on Gaza, which has prevented the flow of essential humanitarian aid and exacerbated the suffering of its residents.

"It most certainly does not have the right to block humanitarian aid – food and medical supplies – from coming to the desperate people of Gaza, creating the conditions for starvation and famine," Sanders said.

The Vermont senator reiterated his commitment to not attending Netanyahu's speech, underscoring his previous statements that the Israeli occupation's actions have resulted in "the worst humanitarian disaster in modern history."

'Israel' has the right to 'defend itself'

The 82-year-old had previously posted a video on X in which he announced he was seeking another term talking about the war on Gaza, wherein he also emphasized that although "Israel" had the "right to respond," it does not have the right to "go to war against the entire Palestinian people, which is exactly what it is doing."

He had also voiced support for the pro-Palestine protests and encampments taking place in various universities across the United States, saying on May 1 that the main focus should be on the Israeli genocide in Gaza rather than the "violence" in pro-Palestine protests across US universities. 

"It is time to not simply worry about the violence we are seeing on American college campuses, but to focus on the unprecedented violence we are seeing in Gaza, which has killed 34,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 77,000, 70% of whom are women and children," Sanders announced on the Senate floor.

"I suggest that CNN and maybe some of my colleagues here maybe take your cameras, just for a moment, off Columbia and off UCLA. Maybe go to Gaza and take your cameras and show us the emaciated children who are dying from malnutrition because of Netanyahu's policies," he added.

"Show us the kids who have lost their arms and their legs. Show us the suffering that is going on over there," Sanders stressed. 

Addressing the protests, Sanders said that he condemns all forms of violence no matter who it stems from, highlighting the importance of condemning and stopping all forms of bigotry in the US. 

"We are seeing a growth of antisemitism in this country, which we must all condemn and work to stop. We are also seeing a growth of Islamophobia in this country, which we must all condemn and stop," Sanders then stressed that holding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government responsible for their actions in Gaza is "not antisemitic".