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Sarsour campaigns for Sanders: Proud ‘to elect first Jewish American president’

Sanders tweeted a video of the anti-Israel political activist praising him for his pro-Palestinian stance in foreign policy, as well as his domestic policies.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders tweeted a campaign clip Friday that went viral, starring anti-Israel political activist Linda Sarsour stumping for him at a recent rally in which she said she would be “proud” to elect the country’s first Jewish president.

“At a time of a startling rise in white nationalism and anti-Semitism, I would be so proud to win, but also to make history and elect the first Jewish American president this country has ever seen and for his name to be Bernard Sanders,” Sarsour said.

Her support stemmed from her support for his foreign policy positions, especially in the Middle East and his domestic ideas, such as universal health care and free university education.

She called Sanders’ foreign policy “transformative,” and one that “sees Palestinians as human beings deserving of human rights and self-determination. Bernie doesn’t ask us how much these things will cost, because only people who don’t believe we deserve these things will ask us how to pay for things like health care, but never ask us how to pay for endless and unjust wars.”

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The Palestinian American feminist is known for promoting the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement, praising the virulently anti-Semitic Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, and publicly supporting Democrat freshmen Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, who have made numerous anti-Israel statements.

Sarsour also supported Sander’s run for the Democratic Party nomination in 2016.

Using much the same language at a New York campaign rally at the time, she noted that Sanders’ “very balanced approach to the Palestinian conflict” includes the “need to end the blockade on Gaza” which Israel has in place to prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons into the coastal enclave to be used in its war against the Jewish state.

Sanders, who freely criticizes Israel for human rights violations in its fight against terrorists, has other Muslim-Americans helping him during his second run for president.

Most notably is his campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, a civil rights advocate and leading progressive in the Democratic party.