Senate defeats legislation to block sale of some offensive weapons to Israel

The US Senate overwhelmingly blocked resolutions on Wednesday night which would have halted the sale of certain offensive arms to Israel, with lawmakers voting 79-18. One Senator responded present. 

The senators who voted against the resolutions are Dick Durbin; Bernie Sanders; Tim Kaine; Chris Van Hollen; Jeff Merkley; Peter Welch; Jon Ossoff; Raphael Warnock; Chris Murphy; Tina Smith; Jeanne Shaheen; Martin Heinrich; Elizabeth Warren; Mazie Hirono; Brian Schatz; Ed Markey; Angus King and Ben Ray Lujan. 

The legislation, brought forward by Sen. Bernie Sanders, sought to prevent the sale of tank munitions, mortar munitions and JDAM systems. 

Sanders, who maintained Israel had the right to self-defense after October 7, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of waging an all-out war against the Palestinians. 

Sanders said the law is clear that US weapons cannot be provided to countries who violate internationally recognized human rights or block us humanitarian aid. 

"It goes without saying that Israel had a right to defend itself from the horrific Hamas terrorist attack of October 7, but Israel did not have the right to kill 43,000 Palestinians and injure over 100,000, most of whom are women, children and the elderly," Sanders said from the Senate floor. "It did not have the right to destroy Gaza's infrastructure, healthcare system, schools and universities, and it certainly does not have the right to starve 1000s and 1000s of children in Gaza."

The United States cannot be complicit to these atrocities, Sanders argued.

"We cannot give billions of dollars to the Netanyahu government and have them defy US law while they take US money," he said. 

Sanders claimed the resolutions would not have impacted Israel's defensive systems such as the Iron Dome or David's Sling. 

Visual aids accompanied Sanders on the floor, depicting harrowing images of malnourished Palestinian children on their deathbeds and begging for food. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a vocal critic of the Netanyahu government, strongly opposed Sanders' legislation. 

"Voting to block assistance today could very well embolden Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran, and endanger Israel's security on into the future," he said.

Schumer said US security assistance to Israel transcends any one prime minister or any one government. 

"This is about Israel's long term security and honoring a cornerstone of United States policy that we will give Israel, a democracy and a steadfast ally, the resources it needs to protect itself in a difficult world," he said. 

Fellow Democrat Sen. Ben Cardin, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, directly criticized Sanders and slammed his colleagues who blamed Israel for the destruction in Gaza instead of Hamas. 

He also criticized the resolutions for seeking to prevent the sale of weapons that would not be delivered to Israel for one to three years and not be used in the current conflicts. 

This is the wrong vehicle for expressing ourselves in regards to the conflict that exists today, Cardin said, but if we are going to talk about the conflict that exists today then the spotlight should be on Hamas, not Israel. 

"Where's the outrage in the international community? Where's the outrage here about Hamas holding hostages, some of whom are Americans. That's where the outrage should be," Cardin said. 

In a statement, AIPAC said it commended the Senate for "standing with Israel and overwhelmingly rejecting proposed bans on critical weapons sales to the Jewish state as it fights to protect its families from Iran and its terrorist proxies."

AIPAC said it applauded the Biden administration for approving these sales and helping ensure Israel has the resources it needs to win.

Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks said Wednesday's vote marked a "dangerous new low" for anti-Israel Democrats in the Senate. 

Brooks pointed out that all but two of the senators that voted in support of the bills, Sanders and Warren, were endorsed by the Jewish Democratic Council of America. 

"By contrast, the RJC is proud that Senate Republicans voted in unanimous opposition to this betrayal of Israel and the empowering of the terrorist regime in Tehran," Brooks said. "After the horrors of October 7, 2023, America must continue to support the destruction of Hamas and the restoration of deterrence by backing Israel resolutely as it pursues its sensible and necessary military objectives."

Jewish Democratic Council of America CEO Halie Soifer said her organization opposes cuts or conditions on U.S. military assistance to Israel and applauds the majority of Senate Democrats for defeating the resolutions. 

“The Democratic Party stands with Israel as it faces grave security threats from Iran and its proxies, Hamas, and Hezbollah," Soifer said. "As the Biden White House stated in a memo to the Senate, 'Now is the time to focus pressure on Hamas to release the hostages and stop the war. Cutting off arms from Israel would put this goal even further out of reach and prolong the war, not shorten it.’ 

Earlier Wednesday, JDCA urged its supporters to sign petitions encouraging their respective lawmakers to vote against the resolutions. 

'A betrayal of our ally'

Democratic Majority for Israel CEO Mark Mellman said the "dangerous and counterproductive resolutions are a betrayal of our ally, Israel, as it fights a defensive war" which is why the majority of Democratic senators voted to defeat them.  

“Today, Democrats reaffirmed, once again, that the majority of our party stands firmly with the Israeli people and supports Israel’s security, especially in this critical time," Mellman said in a statement. "While a few vocal anti-Israel voices in our party often get outsized attention, the majority of Senate Democrats remain steadfast in support of Israel’s sovereignty and right to self-defense."

Mellman called civilian deaths in Gaza and Lebanon tragic, adding the responsibility for those deaths lies squarely with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. 

"Had they not deliberately provoked a war on October 7th last year, almost all those civilians would be alive today," he added.“The Biden-Harris Administration originally requested this aid and opposed Sanders’ resolutions, reinforcing their commitment to Israel’s security."