Actor Viggo Mortensen criticizes Bernie Sanders’ stance on Israel

In an interview on Democracy Now! Danish-American actor Viggo Mortensen discussed world politics. Host Amy Goodman asked Mortensen on his thoughts about the presidential campaign.

“…I mean, I wish that Bernie Sanders would be president, for many reasons. I think in many ways he speaks truth to power. But even on foreign policy, you know, I mean, he’s a person who, as a senator, has voted for every military appropriation, you know, resolution, pro-Israel government resolution, without question…”

Goodman then asked Mortensen what he would say to presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in regards to Israel.

“I would say that you have to treat Israel like everybody else. You know, I don’t like that Israel is a—basically an offshore military base for the United States, you know? And it’s empire, basically. I have never liked that. There are certain—it’s relative. You know, you can see certain things, and it bothers you, and you get over it. You know, I don’t like that the Mets lost the World Series, but I’ll get over it. I don’t like that we invaded Iraq, and I’ll never get over it. I don’t like that people who knew better voted to give permission to the U.S. administration to do that. There’s many things that are really serious.”

Back in 2014, Viggo Mortensen was interviewed by The Daily Beast, an American media company established in 2010, and was asked about his take on the Israeli occupation after he signed the Toronto Declaration of 2009, which opposed the Israeli occupation in Gaza.

“Sadly, very little has changed in terms of the free rein that the government of Israel is given by the U.S. and other influential governments in terms of their handling of the Palestinian question. Sadly, too, the violent acts from a small minority of Palestinian terrorists also continue unabated. No one in the media seems to have a problem with anyone criticizing Palestinian terrorism, but if anyone dares express any objection to the Israeli government’s acts of state terrorism against Palestinian civilians, one is rapidly vilified and censored. Truly even-handed reporting and diplomacy are the only way to peaceful coexistence, in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately, we are nowhere near seeing either of these happening in the mainstream U.S. or European media as regards the state of Israel and its behavior.”