New York, NY, April 6, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today called on presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders to correct his misstatements regarding the 2014 conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas. In an interview with the editorial board of the New York Daily News, Senator Sanders said, “I believe 100 percent not only in Israel's right to exist, a right to exist in peace and security without having to face terrorist attacks.”

But he then called Israel’s actions during the 2014 war in Gaza “disproportionate” and greatly overstated Palestinian civilian casualties, saying “my recollection is over 10,000 innocent people were killed in Gaza.”

“Even the highest number of casualties claimed by Palestinian sources that include Hamas members engaged in attacking Israel is five times less than the number cited by Bernie Sanders,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “As Mr. Sanders publicly discusses his approach to key U.S. foreign policy priorities, including Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, accuracy and accountability are essential for the voting public, but also for U.S. credibility in the international community. We urge Senator Sanders to correct his misstatements.”

As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, ADL takes no position on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for office.