Bernie Sanders pushes to block US arms sales to Israel: everything you need to know | Israeli-Palestinian conflict News

Washington, D.C. The U.S. Senate will vote later this week on bills to block a $20 billion arms deal with Israel, an effort that supporters say will set a precedent in Congress' efforts to put an end to arms transfers to the American ally.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a progressive independent who caucuses with Democrats, introduced the measures, known as joint resolutions of disapproval (JRDs), in September and announced Nov. 13 that he would bring them to the Senate floor for a vote this week.

The effort is unlikely to pass in a majority pro-Israel chamber, but it has garnered support from rights groups and a growing number of Democratic lawmakers.

Hassan El-Tayyab, an advocacy organizer with the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker social justice group, called the upcoming vote historic.

He said the resolutions send a message to President Joe Biden, his successor-in-waiting Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the status quo is unacceptable.

The mere fact that this is happening already sends a political signal that things are not business as usual, El-Tayyab told Al Jazeera.

He added that pressure from Congress could change the behavior of the US administration and its Israeli allies.

The letter

The expected vote will come about two weeks after the Biden administration said it had not assessed that Israel was blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza, a conclusion that contradicted the findings of humanitarian groups.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin sent a letter to Israeli leaders on October 13, threatening consequences under US law if Israel did not take specific steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza in the 30 days.

US law prohibits military assistance to countries that block humanitarian aid supported by Washington.

The continuation of US military aid to Israel after the Blinken-Austin deadline, despite warnings from UN experts that famine was already spreading to Gaza, highlighted Biden's uncompromising support for Israel.

El-Tayyab said the administration's cynical move makes Congress's oversight role and Sanders' resolution all the more important.

Congress is not a passive spectator. It is an equal branch of government that shares responsibility for what happens in Gaza, he said.

In a statement announcing his intention to force a vote on the resolution, Sanders said there was no longer any doubt that Israel was violating international and U.S. law.

As horrible as last year was, the current situation is even worse. Today, Israel continues to restrict the flow of food and medicine to desperate people, the senator said.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians face malnutrition and starvation. The volume of aid reaching Gazans is lower than at any time last year.

What are JRDs?

Under U.S. law, the executive branch can authorize arms sales to foreign countries, but Congress has a de facto veto over this issue.

Lawmakers can introduce a measure to block a given sale to a JRD under the Arms Export Control Act. For the resolution to become law, it would have to pass the Senate and the House of Representatives and be signed by the president.

Since a JRD is almost inherently opposed to White House policy, presidents will likely block the bill, but Congress can override the presidential veto with a two-thirds majority in both houses.

Sanders introduced several resolutions that would block the United States' sale of tank and mortar ammunition, direct attack munitions (JDAM), F-15 fighter jets and other weapons.

Some of the JRDs blocking munitions sales to Israel are supported by Democratic Senators Peter Welch, Jeff Merkley and Brian Schatz.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren also expressed support for the effort, citing the Biden administration's failure to hold Israel accountable for blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza after the Blinken-Austin letter.

The Biden administration's failure to follow U.S. law and suspend arms shipments is a grave mistake that undermines American credibility around the world, Warren said in a statement last week.

If this administration fails to act, Congress must step up its efforts to uphold U.S. law and hold the Netanyahu government accountable through a joint resolution of disapproval.

While Congress has already passed amendments to condition aid to Israel, a Senate vote on a JRD concerning the American ally would be the first of its kind.

Senator Bernie Sanders says situation in Gaza is even worse than last year [File: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters]
Support for exercise

More than 110 advocacy organizations, including Amnesty International USA, the Arab American Institute and Human Rights Watch, issued a joint statement endorsing the JRD.

The joint resolutions of disapproval would suspend certain transfers of types of weapons that the Israeli government has used in strikes that have killed thousands of civilians, including aid workers and journalists, in Gaza over the past year, they said. the groups in the press release.

The war on Gaza backed by Israel and the United States has killed more than 43,800 Palestinians and brought the territory to the brink of famine. The intensifying Israeli offensive in Lebanon has also destroyed large parts of the country and killed more than 3,480 people.

The American-Arab Committee Against Discrimination (ADC) said Israel should not receive an extra dollar in American support because of its abuses.

The Biden administration has lost all credibility regarding its complicity and participation in the Israeli genocide, going so far as to completely ignore US law, the group said in a statement.

It's high time for Congress to step up and do what President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and Secretary Austin are unwilling to enforce U.S. law and say there will be no more weapons for Israeli genocide.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) echoed this statement.

With undeniable evidence of Israel's war crimes and deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid, our government continues to sell billions in offensive weapons to Israel, said CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw. in a press release.

This unacceptable support for genocide perpetuates violence and suffering. With next week's Senate vote, we have a critical opportunity to put an end to these arms sales.

Pro-Israeli response

Sanders' efforts may be a long shot, but pro-Israel groups have noticed and are lobbying against the resolutions.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) urged its supporters to contact their senators to reject the resolutions.

Weakening Israel's security while it is engaged in a seven-front war against common enemies is dangerous for America and the Jewish state, the group said in an email to supporters.

The Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), a pro-Israel advocacy group focused on Democratic officials, issued a similar message.

Sen. Bernie Sanders and others plan to propose legislation to block military aid to Israel next week, even as Israel is under attack, and the Biden administration has confirmed that Israel adheres to the standards set by the United States for humanitarian aid in Gaza, said DMFI.

We must do everything we can to stop it.

El-Tayyab rejected these criticisms, emphasizing that the legislative approach aims only to block offensive weapons destined for Israel.

There is no military solution to the conflict in Gaza, only a diplomatic solution that addresses the root causes of the violence, he told Al Jazeera.

Instead of sending more weapons, Congress and the administration should leverage military aid to Bibi [Netanyahu] and the Knesset to finally get them to accept a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and Lebanon. And that, I think, is a much better strategy for ensuring the defense of Israel and protecting the human rights of the Palestinians.

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