Bernie Sanders releases Super Tuesday ad calling for Palestinian rights

Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders released a campaign ad on Super Tuesday endorsing Palestinian human rights and an end to the Trump administration's so-called Muslim ban.

The progressive Democratic senator is vying for support from millions of voters as he contends with former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday, when members of his party will cast their votes for their favoured presidential candidate in fourteen states and American Samoa. 

The new advertisement released across social media networks on Tuesday morning begins with the words of Democratic Senator Nina Turner at Sanders' campaign launch last year.

"With these hands, we will rise. With these hands, we will transform this country," said Turner, who is also the co-chair of Sander's presidential campaign.

"With these hands, we will have better care for all. With these hands, we will have college for all," she continued in a nod to Sanders' key campaign promises of Medicare For All and free university education.

"With these hands - be we black or brown or red or white or yellow or the swirl in between - with these hands, we will elect Senator Bernie Sanders as the next president of the United States of America."

Read more: 'He's one of us': How 'Amo' Bernie Sanders won the hearts and minds of Arab-Americans

As audio of Turner's speech plays, clips of Sanders supporters raising their hands - each with rallying cries written on in black marker - are played.

Among the slogans listed on supporters' hands is "Palestinian human rights".



Alison Mortell, Deputy National Analytics Director for Sanders' campaign, later confirmed it was her hands in the video.

"#VoteForBernie because I asked the team if I could write this on my hands for the #WithTheseHands video and they were like 'yeah, duh, of course'," she said in a tweet.

Other sets of hands in the video called for an end to racism, protection for the LGBTQ+ community, criminal justice reform and an end to the Trump administration's so-called Muslim travel ban.

Sanders boycotts AIPAC

Sanders has attracted attention for his perceive pro-Palestine stance, a position which has made him the candidate of choice for many Arab-American and Muslim Democrats.

He has previously vowed to to end unconditional US support for Israel and promising to redirect some of the annual $3.8 billion in aid to humanitarian relief in Gaza. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the Vermont senator on Sunday in a speech delivered to the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual conference.

Sanders had made the atypical move of boycotting this year's AIPAC conference, which presidential candidates have made a tradition of attending in the past.

The senator said the conference offers a platform for "leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights". Sanders has previously denounced Netanyahu as a "reactionary racist".

"This year AIPAC was accused of providing a platform for bigotry. These libelous charges are outrageous," the Israeli prime minister hit back on Sunday. In a seperate speech, Israel's ambassador the United Nations called Sanders a "fool".

The pro-Israel lobby has been accused of funding anti-Sanders attack ads.

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