While Mr. Sanders was one of the first members of Congress to call for a humanitarian pause in the war amid a catastrophic civilian death toll in Gaza caused by Israel’s military offensive, he has rejected calls for a permanent cease-fire. Mr. Sanders, an independent, caucuses with Democrats.
Liberal activists across the country are demanding a cease-fire and have become increasingly vocal in condemning elected officials — including President Biden and many Democrats in Congress — for not doing so, accusing them of devaluing Palestinian lives and enabling unacceptable actions by Israel. But for many progressives, including former staff members on his presidential campaigns, Mr. Sanders’s more moderate tone in the current conflict has been particularly painful and disappointing given his long history of highlighting the plight of the Palestinian people.
While he is far from the only member of Congress facing pressure from the left, the break between a movement’s godfather and many of its activists reflects how bitterly the issue has divided Democrats, and the disillusionment some voters, especially young people, feel about the party as a result of the war.
“Biggest political disappointment of our generation,” Briahna Joy Gray, the national press secretary for Mr. Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign, wrote about him on X.
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