The US Senate has blocked a bill to halt the sale of some US-made weapons to Israel over concerns about the human rights catastrophe faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced a so-called joint resolution of disapproval, seeking to block the Biden administration’s recent sale of $20 billion worth of American weapons to Israel.
All three efforts to advance the resolution failed, receiving only about 20 votes out of 100 members in the chamber, with most Democrats joining all Republicans in opposing the bill.
The Senate was scheduled to vote later Wednesday on two other resolutions that would halt the shipment of GPS guidance systems for mortar shells and bombs.
Sanders introduced the measure in September as Israel continued its attack on Gaza that has killed at least 43,000 people.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist government has not only waged war against Hamas, it has waged war against the Palestinian people,” Sanders said at a press conference Tuesday ahead of the vote. ” he said.
“Much of what’s happening there is being done with American weapons and American taxpayer support,” Sanders continued, noting that the United States has provided Israel with more than $18 billion in military aid and more than 50,000 tons of military aid. It added that it had provided weapons and military equipment to the country.
“The United States is complicit in these atrocities, and this complicity must end.”
Efforts to stem the flow of arms to Israel, led by Mr. Sanders, are undercutting a U.S.-imposed deadline of Nov. 12 for Israel to expand humanitarian aid and allow at least 350 trucks a day into the Gaza Strip. It began in response to Israel’s failure to protect itself. Despite Israel’s failures, the United States took no action.
Under U.S. law, military aid cannot be given to foreign security forces that commit human rights abuses. But the Biden administration has largely refused to halt arms transfers to Israel, despite persistent condemnation of war crimes by human rights experts.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren voiced support for the resolution and criticized the Biden administration for failing to take action against Israel for failing to meet deadlines for aid to Gaza.
“The Biden administration’s failure to follow U.S. law and halt arms shipments is a serious mistake that undermines America’s credibility globally,” Warren said in a statement. “If this administration fails to act, Congress must step up to enforce U.S. laws and hold the Netanyahu government accountable through a joint resolution of disapproval.”
This is not the first time Sanders has led such an effort, and the latest one was not expected to pass. But supporters hope that significant support in the Senate will prompt the Israeli government and President Joe Biden’s administration to do more to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley, a co-sponsor of the resolution, said he opposes the transfer of offensive weapons used in bombings that caused “massive deaths, mass injuries, mass destruction.” Ta.
“I stand before you today as someone who has spent his life defending Israel’s economic success and its security in a very difficult region of the world,” Merkley said, adding, “But “The Netanyahu government has followed outdated policies,” he added. They have American values. ”
More than 65% of homes, schools and medical facilities have been destroyed by Israeli forces, according to UN data. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, all 12 universities in the territory were damaged or destroyed. The United Nations also estimates that about 90% of the 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been displaced. Local humanitarian groups have reported malnutrition and hunger, and global food security experts say famine is imminent in northern Gaza.
A spokesperson for British non-governmental organization Oxfam, which provides assistance to displaced people in the region, said: “The House of Lords has decided to issue a final decision on arms transfers to Israel as we see the crisis continuing to escalate with immediate warnings. We must vote to stop it.” Famine broke out in the northern Gaza governorate, and entire communities were wiped out forever.
“Israel is blocking humanitarian aid while using U.S. weapons in attacks that have killed thousands of children, aid workers, and journalists, and destroyed critical infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and clean water. They are destroying and displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, where nowhere is safe. ”
More than a year has passed since Hamas’s surprise and deadly attack on October 7 last year. Negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly failed.
Reporting contributed by AFP and Reuters
