Bernie Sanders is only 72 hours into his presidential campaign & already he’s drooling all over himself about Israel when queried at a town hall meeting. Progressives can tell themselves he’s good on so many questions that he has to be allowed a peccadillo or two. He actually stinks on most questions except rhetorically. In words he’s a real firebrand. Otherwise he’s kind of sorry-assed.

But saying Israeli ethnic cleansing in Gaza is an “overreaction” to Hamas aggression is not a peccadillo. The struggle of Palestinians is of historic moment. To misjudge apartheid & be dismissive of ethnic cleansing is to stand with terrorism & oppression & it puts our man on the wrong side of history. He’s an impediment, not a step forward.

Jill Stein is not a whole lot better on Israel & needs to be interrogated, not applauded just because she has some progressive views.

Demanding candidates straighten up & fly right on Palestine is not a fetishistic preoccupation. It’s a touchstone for where they stand on justice.