The Senate failed on Wednesday to pass three resolutions restricting offensive weapons against Israel, but 19 senators supported the initiative, a sign of growing resistance to Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. showed.
The 19 senators who voted to block some offensive weapons sales exceeded the 11 who joined a similar effort in January that focused on conditionalizing weapons to Israel.
Wednesday's resolution was introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont), who has led calls on Capitol Hill to end unconditional arms support to Israel, along with Sens. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and Jeff – Submitted by Senator Merkley (D-Vermont). ore. ).
In addition to these senators, several other Democrats were expected to vote in favor of the resolution, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen (Maryland) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts). .
Although the resolution was expected to fail, it also served as a symbolic message in favor of restraining Israel in the Senate.
Wednesday's vote comes as President-elect Trump is expected to take office in January and embrace Israel more closely.
The Biden administration's Democratic Party has rallied around Israel throughout the war, but President Biden and his party have called for more aid for the invasion of Gaza and to limit civilian deaths by Israeli forces throughout the 13-month war. There is.
The White House publicly announced its opposition to the resolution before it was voted on.
“We strongly oppose this resolution and have made our position clear to interested senators,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson said.
of joint resolution of disapprovalFormal mechanisms in Congress to restrict arms transfers prohibit the United States from providing future transfers of 120mm tank rounds, 120mm howitzer mortar rounds, and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), which are guidance kits attached to bombs. would have been done.
To block the transfer, both houses of Congress would need to pass a resolution. The resolution regarding tank shells received 18 votes in favor, the resolution regarding mortar shells received 19 votes in favor, and the resolution regarding JDAM received 17 votes in favor.
Sanders also introduced three other joint resolutions in September that would block the sale of JDAM receivers, certain tactical vehicles, and 50 new F-15IA aircraft and related parts. These people did not come to vote on Wednesday.
Sanders led a massive national campaign ahead of the vote and wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post. opinion article The report said Israel violated the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act because the Israeli military violated international human rights.
The senator also cited Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act, which prohibits arms transfers to countries that would impede U.S. humanitarian operations. The United States is working to get aid to Gaza, where Palestinians are struggling to access food and water.
In his opinion piece, Sanders pointed to the widespread destruction in Gaza, including homes and universities, and the displacement of some 2 million people. Sanders pushed back against critics who say reining in Israel would only strengthen Iran's support of Hamas, saying, “Starting thousands of innocent children does not effectively combat terrorism.'' It doesn't matter,” he said.
“Israel is becoming less secure and more isolated because of its immoral acts,” Sanders wrote. “Like any other country, Israel has the right to defend itself, and these resolutions do not jeopardize that defense. specifically targeting weapons.
Sanders elaborated on his position. press conference On Tuesday, the United States claimed it was “complicit in these atrocities” in Gaza.
“That collusion must end,” Sanders said, accusing U.S. officials, senators and members of Congress of hypocrites for speaking out about human rights issues around the world while ignoring the suffering in Gaza.
Merkley told reporters Tuesday that he has long supported Israel but expressed concern about indiscriminate bombing in Gaza, which is “not consistent with our values.”
“Even if we had allies, even if we had countries that were close friends, [if that nation] engaging in gross and destructive acts that inflict such massive harm on civilians; [then] We stand up and say this is wrong,” he said.
Van Hollen also spoke at the conference, arguing that the war has caused untold suffering in the Gaza Strip and that Israel should not have a blank check.
“That's why we need to take the step of suspending U.S. offensive military assistance until Israel “finally comes into compliance and begins to listen to U.S. priorities,” Van Hollen said. .
However, many Democrats opposed this.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement before the vote that Israel “continues to face active and deadly threats” from “adversary states that also threaten U.S. interests.” “
“Our support for Israel does not weaken our commitment to humanitarian assistance to innocent Palestinians or our shared pursuit of peace,” Cardin said. “While we address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and advocate for peace, we must also uphold our country's longstanding bipartisan commitment to Israel.”
Cardin said on the Senate floor that the resolution makes little sense because it deals with future arms transfers, and that limiting JDAM, which provides precision strikes, would actually make Israeli attacks more dangerous. said. Sanders claimed that Israel uses JDAM to target populated areas.
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) said Wednesday's proposed resolution would “not only undermine Israel's ability to defend against these attacks, but it would embolden Iran.”
“Whether or not you support Israel's self-defense is your decision and it should not be a political one,” he said on the Senate floor. “Government leaders and politicians may come and go, but our commitment to Israel's security must be ironclad and unrestrained.”
Nationally, the Democratic Party is divided on support for Israel, with many progressives, Arab Americans and young voters in the party sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians, while centrists and traditionalists support Israel. I support it. Many in the Arab American and progressive community voted against Vice President Harris in a protest vote on Election Day.
Democrats have mostly moderated their criticism. Biden has not taken concrete action against Israel and has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.N.Y.) also gave a dramatic speech this spring that focused largely on smearing Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Schumer said Wednesday he opposes the resolution because it could embolden Hamas and Iran and “jeopardize Israel's security well into the future.”
“I also urge Israel to do more to alleviate the suffering of innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip and to do more to deliver humanitarian aid where it is urgently needed,” he said on the Senate floor. We have made it clear that this must not happen.” “But our security assistance to Israel goes beyond any prime minister or government.”
Wednesday's Senate vote came on the same day the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional end to the war in Gaza.
Despite pressure from Biden, Israel's operations have only grown more dangerous, with human rights groups and the United Nations saying they could be destructive and violate international humanitarian law. Over the spring, the State Department said in a report that it was “reasonable to assess” that Israel had violated international law.
Earlier this month, the United States said it would not restrict arms sales to Israel, despite concerns that further steps could be taken to get aid to Gaza. The Biden administration had previously set a deadline for Israel to improve its humanitarian situation.
More than 43,000 Palestinians have died in the war, of which the United Nations says nearly 70% were women and children. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.
However, Prime Minister Netanyahu remains steadfast in his position that the war should continue and that the country should not surrender to Hamas, which has deteriorated significantly in the war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused of prolonging the war for political survival instead of reaching a deal to release about 100 hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for a ceasefire. Earlier this month, he fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, in part because he argued that Hamas had deteriorated and that Israel could survive with hostages and a cease-fire agreement. .
The United States primarily blames Hamas, accusing the insurgents of failing to reach a ceasefire agreement.
Biden has only once put a hold on a 2,000-pound bomb shipment to Israel over concerns about its use in the densely populated Gaza Strip. Human rights groups have criticized Israel for using heavy bombs to target crowded areas within the besieged area.
According to a recent analysis, the United States sent about $18 billion to support Israeli military operations in the war through September.
