The Senate on Wednesday decisively rejected three resolutions introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) that sought to block a $20 billion arms sale to Israel. The proposed deal includes US military tank rounds, mortar rounds, and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), all of them crucial to Israel’s existential war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, two terrorist groups governed by Iran and sworn to annihilate the Jewish State.
Sen. Sanders, citing concerns over “unacceptable civilian death and harm” in Gaza – the result of Hamas’s strategic location of all its assets and fighting forces behind human shields – argued that such sales could exacerbate the humanitarian crisis. However, the resolutions faced long odds, as the arms package had already received congressional authorization.
Speaking at a press conference before the vote, Sanders declared, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist government has not simply waged war against Hamas – it has waged war against Palestinians,” and, “The United States of America is complicit in these atrocities. This complicity must end.”
The Republican Jewish Coalition issued a statement saying:
“Today marks a dangerous new low for anti-Israel Democrats in the US Senate, who voted to cancel $20 billion in pending arms sales to Israel that were already authorized by Congress. It is also shameful that self-proclaimed ‘Shomer’ Chuck Schumer refused to whip votes against this anti-Israel measure.”
The votes, while largely symbolic, served as a barometer of Democratic sentiment in the Senate regarding the Biden administration’s approach to Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas. The Republicans in the Senate proved reliable.
So, here are Israel’s enemies in the Senate. The vote underscored a notable, though still very much minority, bloc within the Senate questioning the need for US military support for Israel.
Nineteen senators, including 17 Democrats and two independents, voted in favor of at least one of Senator Sanders’s three resolutions to block the arms sale. The group included prominent lawmakers such as Senators Dick Durbin of Illinois, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and Jon Ossoff of Georgia.
Also among the supporters were Senators Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Peter Welch of Vermont, and Angus King, an independent from Maine. Senator Sanders himself rounded out the group.
Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog tweeted ahead of the vote:
“Approaching today’s Senate vote, I have one message to American lawmakers: Anyone urging you to ban critical arms to Israel during an existential war is NOT pro-Israel. Over the past year, Israel has been attacked by the entire Iranian axis with over 35,000 rockets (!), including massive missile strikes from Iran itself. These are the enemies not just of Israel, a close US ally, but of the US as well. Our success in turning the tide of this war—deterring Iran, degrading Hezbollah, and defeating Hamas—advances the free world’s interests. Pushing for daylight between the US and Israel on this matter is wrong and sends the wrong message to our enemies.”
Finally, J Street, a group claiming to be friends of Israel, was practically giddy about the contingency of 19 Senators who no longer support Israel. The group congratulated them, stating:
“This vote marks a milestone in the ongoing evolution of the US-Israel relationship. This debate and vote signify another step toward a relationship in which the US can hold Israel accountable for its actions and its use of the weapons we provide in the same way we enforce US laws for all other recipients of US security assistance. It is also a marker of growing support in the political arena for using the leverage we do have to impact the Israeli government’s actions and policies and as an incentive toward a path we believe leads to Israel’s long-term security and regional peace.
“J Street shares with all the Senators who voted for these resolutions a deep concern both for the future and security of the State of Israel and for the future and security of the Palestinian people. Contrary to opponents’ claims regarding today’s vote, US support for Israel’s security was never at risk. All of the Senators who voted for a resolution of disapproval today have supported tens of billions of dollars in security assistance to Israel throughout their careers. No Senators are calling for anything approaching an arms embargo, and all of them endorse continued support for Iron Dome and other defensive systems.”
The RJC suggested that history would judge harshly the 19 US Senators and their apologists. The group also pointed out that, by contrast, Senate Republicans voted in unanimous opposition to this betrayal of Israel and the empowering of the terrorist regime in Tehran.
