Bernie Sanders has suggested that the United States could use its military aid to Israel as leverage to persuade the Jewish State to “change your relationship to the people of Gaza”.

Speaking at an annual conference for J Street, a "pro-Israel, pro-peace" American Jewish group, the Presidential hopeful also urged Israel to roll back its support for settlements in the West Bank and enter peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

Mr Sanders also suggested that a portion of the money pledged in military aid, under a memorandum of understanding brokered by the Obama administration, to humanitarian aid in Gaza.

According to some commentators, support for the Palestinian cause is rising among supporters of the Democratic Party.

Mr Sanders said: “I would use the leverage of $3.8 billion. It is a lot of money, and we cannot give carte blanche to the Israeli government or, for that matter, to any government at all. We have a right to demand respect for human rights and democracy.

“My solution is to Israel: ‘If you want military aid you’re going to have to fundamentally change your relationship to the people of Gaza’.

“My proposal in terms of Israeli-Palestinian efforts is not a radical proposal. All it says is that we need an even-hand proposal for both people.

“What is going on in Gaza right now, for example, is absolutely inhumane. It is unacceptable. It is unsustainable.

“I believe absolutely not only in the right of Israel to exist but the right to exist in peace and security. But what I also believe is the Palestinian people have a right to live in security and peace, as well.”

At the conference, the Vermont senator also discussed his Jewish heritage and his relatives who were killed in the Holocaust.

He went on to say that “if there is any people on Earth who should do everything humanly possible” to combat President Donald Trump’s divisive rhetoric and policies, “it is the Jewish people”.