US Senate votes against efforts to deny arms to Israel amid Gaza war | Israeli-Palestinian conflict News

Washington, DC The US Senate has rejected a bill to block US arms sales to Israel amid the war on Gaza, an outcome that rights advocates say does not take away from the growing push to condition aid on Washington's main ally.

A resolution to end the sale of tank rounds failed to pass Wednesday by a 79-18 vote, with prominent progressives and mainstream Democratic senators supporting the effort.

Two other resolutions aimed at stopping the sale of other weapons also failed after receiving fewer than 20 votes.

Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRD) in September to oppose a $20 billion arms deal approved by President Joe Biden's administration.

It was the first time that an arms sale to Israel was subject to such a vote.

While support for this initiative may seem minimal, it represents a crack in the bipartisan consensus on unconditional U.S. aid to Israel.

Beth Miller, political director of the U.S.-based advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace, said the vote is an inflection point in decades-long efforts to restrict Washington's military assistance to Israel.

It's too little, too late; This genocide has been going on for 13 months, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a critically important milestone, Miller told Al Jazeera.

General support

In addition to Sanders, Senators Peter Welch, Jeff Merkley, Chris Van Hollen, Tim Kaine and Brian Schatz supported the resolution to block offensive munitions destined for Israel.

Although Sanders is an independent progressive who caucuses with Democrats, some of the lawmakers who supported the effort come from the mainstream wing of the party.

Kaine was the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee in the 2016 election that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lost to new Republican President Donald Trump.

In a statement announcing his vote Wednesday, Kaine called for working toward de-escalation and lasting peace in the region.

Continued offensive arms transfers will aggravate the current crisis and further fuel the fire of regional instability, the senator said.

Therefore, although I voted for the $14 billion defense aid package for Israel in April and continue to support defensive weapons transfers, I will vote to oppose mortar transfers , tank munitions and joint direct attack munitions. [JDAMs] in Israel.

Continued U.S. support for Israel has been vital in funding the war against Gaza and Lebanon.

A recent Brown University study found that the Biden administration spent $17.9 billion on security aid to Israel over the past year, despite warnings from United Nations experts that which the United States' ally is committing genocide in Gaza.

This aid has persisted despite growing Israeli atrocities, including widespread destruction in Lebanon, sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners and the stifling siege of Gaza that has starved the territory.

White House intervention

While Republicans were united against these measures, HuffPost reported that the Biden administration pressured Democratic senators to vote against these measures.

Shelley Greenspan, the White House liaison to the American Jewish community, appeared to confirm this information.

Greenspan, a former employee of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), shared with an approving emoji a social media post saying lame duck Biden remains steadfastly pro-Israel, including lobbying against Sanders resolutions .

The White House did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment.

https://t.co/FDdGmz1SxM

Shelley Greenspan (@ShelleyGspan) November 20, 2024

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) denounced the White House's lobbying efforts.

We strongly condemn the White House's dishonest campaign to pressure Senate Democrats into avoiding even a token vote against delivering additional U.S. taxpayer-funded weapons to Netanyahu's out-of-control government, the group said in a press release.

The Biden administration's foreign policy in the Middle East has been a disastrous failure.

CAIR is one of dozens of rights groups that supported the resolution.

In a speech on the Senate floor before the vote, Sanders addressed this support before the vote.

He said the resolutions are simple, straightforward and not complicated. He argued that the measures aim to enforce U.S. laws barring military assistance to countries that block humanitarian aid and commit abuses.

A lot of people come to talk about human rights and what's going on in the world, but what I want to say to all these people: No one will take what you say seriously, Sanders said.

You cannot condemn human rights [violations] all over the world, then turn a blind eye to what the US government is currently funding in Israel. People will laugh in your face. They will tell you: you are concerned about China; you are concerned about Russia; you are concerned about Iran. Well, why are you currently funding child starvation in Gaza?

Moral obligation

Sen. Jacky Rosen, a staunchly pro-Israel Democrat, spoke against the resolutions, arguing that restrictions on aid to Israel would empower Iran and its allies in the region.

Israel has the absolute right to defend itself, and the aid America provides is essential, Rosen said.

If the bills had passed the Senate, they would have had to be approved by the House of Representatives and by Biden, who would almost certainly have refused to sign them.

A presidential veto can be overridden with a two-thirds majority in the House and Senate.

Several Democrats in the House of Representatives had expressed their support for the JRD.

Pramila Jayapal, chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and eight other lawmakers said in a joint statement: President-elect Trump's return to the White House will only embolden Netanyahu and his far-right ministers. A vote in favor of the joint resolutions of disapproval is a vote aimed at politically restricting the Netanyahu government from any future efforts to formally annex the West Bank and colonize parts of Gaza.

Miller, of Jewish Voice for Peace, said lawmakers have ethical, legal and political obligations to vote in favor of the resolutions.

They have a moral obligation to stop weaponizing genocide. They have a legal obligation to follow U.S. law and stop sending weapons to a government that uses our equipment in violation of our own law. And they have a political obligation to do what their constituents tell them to do, she said.

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