Bernie Sanders calls war in Gaza a "genocide"

• ""The intent is clear. The conclusion is inescapable: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza," Sanders said in a statement released Wednesday.
• A United Nations commission investigating the war said this week that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, the most sweeping statement yet from the international body.
• Sanders is also the first sitting U.S. senator to definitively declare the war a genocide.

The big picture: The declaration is a big deal on the left, as Sanders had been increasingly catching flak for not yet labeling the conflict a genocide.

• "The truth is, whether you call it genocide or ethnic cleansing or mass atrocities or war crimes, the path forward is clear," Sanders said. "We, as Americans, must end our complicity in the slaughter of the Palestinian people."
• This summer, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), became the highest ranking elected Democrat to label the war in Gaza a genocide.

• Other progressives, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have been using the language for months.

Between the lines: Sanders said in his statement that whether the conflict is a genocide hinges on the question of Israel's "intent."

• "Israeli leaders have made their intent clear," Sanders said, pointing to statement from Israeli officials calling for Gaza to be erased "from the face of the earth."
• In the Senate, Sanders has forced multiple votes over the last two years to restrict U.S. arms sales to Israel. While all the resolutions have failed, support for the measures has steadily increased.