US Senate blocks bid to halt some Israel military sales
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday blocked legislation that would have halted the sale of some U.S. weapons to Israel, which had been introduced out of concern about the human rights catastrophe faced by Palestinians in Gaza.
Seventy-nine of the 100 senators opposed a resolution that would have blocked sales of tank rounds to Israel, while 18 approved it and one voted present.
The Senate was to vote later on Wednesday on two other resolutions that would stop shipments of mortar rounds and a GPS guidance system for bombs.
All of the votes in favor of the measure came from the Democratic caucus, while “no” votes came from both Democrats and Republicans. The “resolutions of disapproval” were filed by Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, and co-sponsored by a handful of Democrats.
Strong bipartisan support for Israel meant the resolutions were unlikely to pass, but backers hoped significant support in the Senate would encourage Israel’s government and President Joe Biden’s administration to do more to protect civilians in Gaza.
Most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people has been displaced and the enclave is at risk of famine, more than a year into Israel’s war against Hamas in the Palestinian enclave. Gaza health officials say more than 43,922 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive.
Sanders said the military aid to Israel violates U.S. law barring weapons sales to human rights abusers. “We think that the United States government should obey the law. That’s number one,” he told a news conference on Tuesday ahead of the votes.
“And number two, from a moral perspective, all of us are appalled that the United States of America is complicit in the starvation and malnutrition of many, many thousands of children in Gaza,” he said.
Opponents said the resolutions were inappropriate as Israel faces threats from militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, and from arch-enemy Iran.
“Israel is surrounded by enemies dedicated to its annihilation,” the Senate’s Democratic majority leader, Chuck Schumer, said in a Senate speech before the votes.
