Sanders tweeted that he would not attend the conference due to AIPAC’s connection to “leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights,” an apparent reference to the current administration of Israel headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, whom Sanders has repeatedly criticized in the past.

“The Israeli people have the right to live in peace and security. So do the Palestinian people. I remain concerned about the platform AIPAC provides for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights. For that reason I will not attend their conference,” he wrote…

AIPAC officials responded on Sunday to Sanders’ remarks, pointing out that he had never attended the conference in the past and decrying the “odious” accusations as “truly shameful.”