Washington Three proposals put up by progressive Senator Bernie Sanders that would have prohibited the sale of some offensive weapons to Israel were decisively rejected by the Senate on Wednesday night.
It was not anticipated that the resolutions would pass due to bipartisan opposition.
The three resolutions that Sanders, I-Vt., sponsored focused on three distinct weapon types: mortar rounds, tank rounds, and a particular kind of navigation system that is frequently attached to bombs dropped in Gaza. Three separate attempts to pass resolutions were rejected by 78, 79, and 80 senators, respectively.
Prior to the vote, Sanders stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has violated international & U.S. law, violating human rights and blocking humanitarian aid.”
Sanders made the case that the resolutions “would not affect any of the systems Israel uses to defend itself from incoming attacks,” concentrating instead on offensive weapons, in a speech on the Senate floor prior to the vote.
Israel has every right to react to that horrifying Hamas attack, just like any other nation would, as I have stated several times. In his floor speech, he stated, “I don’t think anybody here in the United States Senate disagrees with that.” However, the radical government of Prime Minister Netanyahu has done more than only fight Hamas. The Palestinian people have been the target of its full-scale war.
According to a statement, “the U.S. strategy of giving the Netanyahu government a blank check for offensive weapons cannot continue.” Sen. Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, voted in favor of the resolutions.
“No nation, not even a close ally such as Israel, is entitled to military assistance from the United States without following U.S. and international law,” he stated.
In a statement, Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Mexico, declared that de-escalating the conflict “cannot happen if we look the other way when it comes to how specific weapons are used and their extraordinary toll.” Heinrich also vote in favor of the resolutions.
The only senator to vote in person on each resolution was Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin. These resolutions are not the answer, she stated in a statement.
The message went on, “I’m abstaining because neither a yes nor no vote adequately expresses my objectives of both defending Israel’s right to self-defense and preserving the lives of innocent Palestinians.”
Votes opposing the motions were praised by other Democrats.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada, stated on X that she will always proudly stand for our most powerful ally.
In a similar vein, Senator Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., stated on X that we must do everything in our power to support Israel’s defense because it is our ally in the Middle East.
The resolutions were rejected by every Republican who was present for the vote.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, stated on X that “Israel should not be attacked in the halls of Congress, even though it is being attacked on all fronts.”
“Restricting Israel’s self-defense capabilities benefits its adversaries,” stated Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La., in a different post on X.
Progressives opposed to the war frequently attacked the Biden administration’s management of the conflict during the presidential campaign, calling for its termination and denouncing the White House’s cooperation with Israel and Netanyahu.
Under Netanyahu’s leadership, Israel’s government has vehemently maintained that it must eliminate Hamas in order to avert another terrorist attack like the one that murdered 1,200 people and abducted 251 on October 7, 2023.
Since the bombing, Israel’s offensive into the crowded enclave has killed almost 43,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. Health officials report that over half of the dead are women and children, while the death toll figures do not differentiate between Hamas soldiers and civilians.
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