“We are not taking a hard enough look at Saudi Arabia,” the presidential candidate said, adding parts of the ruling family in that nation have funded the “extremely right-wing fundamentalist ideology” of Wahhabism in schools around the world.
“Saudi Arabia is playing a very dangerous role in fomenting fundamentalism all over the world,” Sanders said, Bloomberg reported.
Asked about reports that Saudi Arabia would sell American assets if Congress approves a bill allowing victims of 9/11 attacks to sue the Saudi government, Sanders -- who trails former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination -- said the US “can’t be blackmailed.”
Sanders also said the US “cannot ignore the suffering of the Palestinian people” in its support of Israel. He cited civilian deaths and “mass destruction” from Israel’s 2014 military operation in Gaza meant to counter rocket attacks. Sanders specifically accused Clinton of ignoring Palestinians in recent remarks on Israel.
“You can’t just always nod your head to (Benjamin) Netanyahu,” he said of the Israeli prime minister. “He is wrong on occasion.”
Sanders and Clinton face an important vote on Tuesday in the New York state presidential primary. Opinion polls show Clinton holds a double-digit lead in the state she represented in the US Senate, according to RealClearPolitics.