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'Enough of Trump and Netanyahu's endless wars': US senator

U.S. Marines and soldiers with the Israeli army participate in live-fire and maneuver range during Intrepid Maven 23.2, in Israel, Feb. 28, 2023. (Photo via U.S. Marine Corps)
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U.S. Marines and soldiers with the Israeli army participate in live-fire and maneuver range during Intrepid Maven 23.2, in Israel, Feb. 28, 2023. (Photo via U.S. Marine Corps)
May 06, 2026 11:43 AM GMT+03:00

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday publicly condemned U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what he called "endless wars."

Sharing a running casualty count across Iran, Lebanon, Gulf states, Israel and the U.S. military in a pointed indictment of the ongoing conflict.

"3,375 people killed in Iran, 26,500 wounded. 2,702 killed in Lebanon, 8,311 wounded. 28 killed in Gulf states, 289+ wounded. 26 killed in Israel, 7,791 wounded. 13 US troops killed, 381 wounded. ENOUGH of Trump and Netanyahu's endless wars," Sanders wrote on X.

Sanders' figures cover the full arc of the conflict since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began Feb. 28.

The senator, an independent from Vermont, cited the toll across every front of the widening war without attributing the figures to a specific source.

An Israeli Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle moves into formation with a U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer over the Mediterranean Coast on Oct. 30, 2021. (Photo via U.S. Air Force)
An Israeli Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle moves into formation with a U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer over the Mediterranean Coast on Oct. 30, 2021. (Photo via U.S. Air Force)

Support for Israel in Senate shifted dramatically

The statement reflects a broader shift in the U.S. political landscape documented by Walla News.

The Israeli outlet noted that opposition to a U.S.-Israel arms deal in the Senate, which passed despite the opposition, drew 40 votes against out of 47 Democratic senators.

Sanders himself noted the scale of that shift. "When we started, there were only 11 votes against. Now there are 40.

This reflects the view of the American people," he said, according to Walla News.

The outlet reported that opposing Israel was once considered "political suicide" in the Senate, a calculation that has fundamentally changed.

Politicians positioning themselves for 2028 presidential runs, on both sides of the aisle, no longer view unconditional support for Israel as a political asset, Walla News reported.

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was cited among those competing to signal distance from Israel, having floated the possibility of cutting the annual $3.8 billion in U.S. security assistance and suspending it entirely in cases of violations, positions Walla News described as having entered the Democratic mainstream after previously being considered outside the bounds of legitimate debate.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon flies alongside the Israeli Air Force during Desert Falcon in Israel, Jan. 16, 2022 (Photo via Israeli Air Force)
A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon flies alongside the Israeli Air Force during Desert Falcon in Israel, Jan. 16, 2022 (Photo via Israeli Air Force)

Generational and sociocultural divide

Walla News characterized the shift as extending well beyond politics into a deeper sociocultural transformation.

The outlet noted that an older generation that grew up with the narratives of the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars, and viewed Israel as a victim, has been replaced by a younger generation shaped by images from Gaza and social media, where the dominant narrative has shifted from "victim Israel" to what critics describe as "genocide Israel."

Trump was characterized by Walla News as representing the older generation that still holds strong sympathy for Israel.

Regardless of whether a Democrat or Republican wins the next presidential election, Walla News said, expectations are growing that U.S. policy toward Israel will become "more cautious and less tolerant."

The outlet concluded that while the U.S.-Israel alliance had not collapsed, it was no longer treated as a given, and that what was once a nearly unquestioned consensus had become a contested political, social, and generational battleground.

Walla News characterized the shift as extending well beyond politics into a deeper sociocultural transformation.

The outlet noted that an older generation that grew up with the narratives of the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars, and viewed Israel as a victim, has been replaced by a younger generation shaped by images from Gaza and social media, where the dominant narrative has shifted from "victim Israel" to what critics describe as "genocide Israel."

May 06, 2026 11:43 AM GMT+03:00
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