The Senate on Wednesday night voted down resolutions introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to block several weapons transfers to Israel, but the effort received more support from Democrats than expected.
Eighteen senators — Sanders, Sen. Angus King (I-ME), and 16 Democrats — voted in favor of the first resolution that would have blocked the transfer of 120mm tank shells to Israel. Seventy-nine senators voted against the resolution, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who opposes US military aid to Ukraine and previously joined efforts against weapons transfers to Saudi Arabia that supported its brutal war in Yemen.
The second resolution to block 120mm mortar rounds for Israel failed in a vote of 19-78. The third resolution, which would have blocked a JDAM bomb kit shipment to Israel, failed in a vote of 17-80.
The White House came out strongly against the resolutions ahead of the vote, putting out talking points that claimed any senator who voted to block the arms shipments to Israel would be helping Hamas.
“Disapproving arms purchases for Israel at this moment would … put wind in the sails of Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas at the worst possible moment,” the Biden administration said.
A day earlier, Sanders and his cosponsors — Peter Welch (D-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) — gave a press conference where they explained their reasoning for wanting to block the arms transfers, pointing to the starvation of Palestinians and atrocities being committed with US weapons.
Sanders said US military aid to Israel was illegal due to US foreign assistance laws that prohibit providing weapons to countries that intentionally block aid or commit human rights violations.
“Israel is clearly in violation of these laws,” Sanders said. “Under these circumstances, it is illegal for the US government to provide them with more offensive weaponry. Joint resolutions of disapproval are Congress’s tool to enforce those laws.”
