Vice President Mike Pence on Monday suggested that Sen. Bernie Sanders supports Israel's enemies.

During a speech at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Pence said Sanders would be the "most anti-Israel president in the history of this nation."

Sanders is Jewish, has lived in Israel, and much of his father's family was killed during the Holocaust.

The senator from Vermont has called for a more balanced US policy toward Israel that could include conditioning US aid in relation to the occupation and peace process, among other matters.

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Vice President Mike Pence on Monday said Sen. Bernie Sanders would be the most anti-Israel president in the history of the US, as he excoriated the Vermont senator over his criticism of the Israeli government.

"In the days ahead, we must ensure the most pro-Israel president in history must not be replaced by one who would be the most anti-Israel president in the history of this nation. That's why we need four more years of President Trump in the White House," Pence said at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference.

Pence also suggested that Sanders, who is Jewish, sides with Israel's enemies.

"Those who side with Israel's enemies must never be allowed to call themselves friends of Israel. It is wrong to boycott and slander Israel. It is wrong to boycott and slander AIPAC," Pence said, as he accused Sanders of smearing Israel during the most recent Democratic presidential debate.

Sanders, who is leading the race for the 2020 Democratic nomination, has boycotted the AIPAC event.

He has not called for boycotting Israel, as Pence suggested, and does not support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. But the senator, among other 2020 Democrats, is open to conditioning US aid to Israel in relation to the occupation of Palestinian territories, settlements, and peace process.

"The Israeli people have the right to live in peace and security," Sanders tweeted Sunday. "So do the Palestinian people. I remain concerned about the platform AIPAC provides for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights."

During the AIPAC conference, Pence also equated anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism.

"It is the position of the United States government that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism," Pence said. Zionism is the belief that Jewish people should have their own sovereign state in their ancestral homeland, Israel.

There's an ongoing debate among scholars and American Jews as to whether anti-Zionism is, as Pence said, anti-Semitic. Some contend that suggesting "anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism" is actually anti-Semitic in and of itself because it plays into the dual loyalty trope, or the implication that American Jews are more loyal to Israel than the US. There are also those who are concerned that criticism of the Israeli government and its policies is too often labeled and dismissed as anti-Semitism instead of being critically examined.

Since his 2016 campaign, Sanders has broken the American taboo of criticizing the Israeli government and the nature of US support for Israel. He's called for a more balanced US policy toward Israel that takes Palestinian rights into greater account.

During the last Democratic debate in South Carolina, Sanders said, "I'm very proud of being Jewish. I actually lived in Israel for some months. But what I happen to believe is that right now, sadly, tragically, in Israel, through Bibi Netanyahu, you have a reactionary racist who is now running that country."

The senator from Vermont would be first Jewish person to receive a major party nomination for president in US history. Much of his father's family was killed during the Holocaust, and he's spoken about anti-Semitism in personal terms along the campaign trail.

"It is true that some criticism of Israel can cross the line into antisemitism, especially when it denies the right of self-determination to Jews, or when it plays into conspiracy theories about outsized Jewish power. I will always call out antisemitism when I see it. My ancestors would expect no less of me," Sanders wrote in an op-ed for Jewish Currents in November 2019.

He went on to say, "My pride and admiration for Israel lives alongside my support for Palestinian freedom and independence. I reject the notion that there is any contradiction there."