TEL AVIV – An overwhelming majority of American Democrats living in Israel voted for Bernie Sanders in the Democrats Abroad global primary. Sanders received 60.8 percent of the vote in Israel, while Hillary Clinton earned 39.1 percent, the Associated Press reported.
The party said that 34,570 citizens living in 38 countries cast votes by Internet, mail, and in person from March 1-8.
Sanders received 69 percent of the vote to earn nine of the 13 delegates at stake. Hillary Clinton won 31 percent, picking up four delegates.
Voters in Israel also chose Sanders over Clinton by 249 votes to 160. Sanders won sweeping victories in other votes in the Middle East such as the United Arab Emirates, where he scored 541 to Clinton’s 334. In Egypt, he won 41-5, and in Lebanon, 29-6.
The global victory is an important one for Sanders, who was beaten by Clinton in five states last Tuesday. Sanders continues to trail Clinton by more than 300 delegates.
Clinton now has 1,163 delegates to Sanders’ 844, based on primaries and caucuses.
Her lead is even bigger when super-delegates are included — 1,630 to Sanders’ 870. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the nomination.
On Monday, Sanders expressed controversial views on Israeli policies, accusing the country of disproportionate force in its military campaigns.
After shunning AIPAC’s annual conference in Washington in favor of campaigning in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Democratic underdog released an undelivered speech in which he stressed the importance of ending Israel’s “occupation of Palestinian territory” and criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for expropriating land.