In late September, Sanders presented three Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs), nearly a year following Hamas’s assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that Israel’s military actions, both aerial and ground-based, have resulted in over 43,000 fatalities in Gaza.
Gaza has experienced significant distress, with over 1.8 million Palestinians facing ‘extremely critical’ levels of hunger, prompting the United Nations to issue a warning about the imminent threat of famine.
Senator Sanders delivered a heartfelt address to his colleagues on the Senate floor on Wednesday evening, urging them to acknowledge the humanitarian crisis and the United States’ complicity in what he termed ‘mass starvation.’
His resolution, S.J. Res. 111, was rejected by a vote of 18 to 79 that same night. The strong backing for Israel within the Senate made the resolution’s passage improbable, highlighting a divergence between Democratic senators and President Joe Biden’s stance on the ongoing conflict.
The Jewish senator criticized the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who restricts aid and employs military force. He argues that Israel is overstepping its right to self-defense and violating international law.
Sanders has repeatedly expressed his discontent with the Biden administration’s support for the war and its management. He is also frustrated that the government is not holding Israel responsible.
Four resolutions aimed to halt the transfer of U.S. tank rounds, water rounds, and guidance kits associated with the ‘bombs dropped in Gaza’ to Israel. During a news conference on Tuesday, Sanders, along with Senators Peter Welch, Chris Van Hollen, and Jeff Merkley, made this statement.
He asserted that the U.S. is ‘complicit’ in the war, its associated crimes, and violations of international law. As a result of these actions, the U.S. would have been unable to sell $20 billion worth of weapons to Israel.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the U.S. has provided Israel with over $310 billion in military and economic assistance, with at least $228 billion allocated to military support. The United States staunchly supports Israel.
‘The United States government is currently in violation of the law, and every member of the U.S. Senate who values the rule of law should endorse the resolutions,’ Sanders stated on the day of the vote.
The Vermont Independent noted that the U.S. is contravening the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act by supplying weapons to nations that violate human rights or impede U.S. aid efforts.
In an opinion article published this week in the Washington Post, Sanders stated, ‘The necessity for aid is more pressing now than at any previous moment in the conflict; the amount of assistance reaching Gaza in recent weeks has been the lowest since the onset of the war.’
The senator further expressed, ‘All of this is dreadful and unjust.’ However, what is even more distressing is that a significant portion of this destruction and loss of life has been facilitated by U.S. weaponry, funded by American taxpayers.
Over the past year, the United States has provided Israel with $18 billion in military assistance, along with over 50,000 tons of arms and other military supplies.
