WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday rejected an attempt by Sen. Bernie Sanders Wednesday to block sales of offensive weapons to Israel for its war in Gaza over mounting civilian deaths there.
The Vermont lawmaker and a small group of Democrats sought to put legislation up for a Senate vote that would block the sale of some tank and mortar rounds and smart-bomb kits to Israel. The first attempt to block the sales was rejected overwhelmingly, and two more were expected to go down to defeat.
Sanders, in making the case for stopping the sales, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government “has not simply waged war against Hamas. It has waged an all-out war against the Palestinian people.”
Known as joint resolutions of disapproval, the measures would have had to pass both houses of Congress and withstand a veto to become binding. Congress has never succeeded in blocking any arms sales with the joint resolutions. The vote served as a test of broader frustration among Democrats at the war and President Joe Biden’s handling of relations with Israel.
Sanders was joined in the effort by Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats and has grown more outspoken on Israel’s handling of the war in recent months, including when he skipped Netanyahu’s speech before Congress over the summer. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, voted against the Vermont senator’s effort.
In a lengthy statement, King said that he was disheartened by the way that Israel has conducted the war, saying it has fought too aggressively and harmed civilians even after degrading Hamas’ capacity. He repeated that Israel has harmed its global standing in the war.
“The goal is to work towards a more prosperous, safer, and peaceful future for both Israelis and Palestinians,” King said. “I am optimistic about this future and believe that this vote brings us a step closer to achieving it.”
Lawmakers’ move comes after a 30-day Biden administration deadline came and went earlier this month for Netanyahu to meet specific U.S. targets to improve its treatment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza trapped in the war. U.S. demands included that Israel lift a near-total ban on delivery of aid to hard-hit north Gaza for starving civilians there.
Leading global aid organizations say Israel fell far short of meeting the U.S. demand to allow in an adequate number of aid trucks, and in some other ways worsened conditions for civilians.
That includes Israeli lawmakers newly banning the main U.N. agency that provides aid to Palestinians. U.N. officials said as the end of the U.S. deadline neared that the entire population of north Gaza is now at imminent risk of dying from famine, airstrikes or other threats.
“We would expect that there be some consequences when things get even worse,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said in the run-up to the vote on the measures. Fellow Democratic Sens. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Peter Welch of Vermont also joined Sanders in the appeal.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said on the Senate floor that he will “strongly oppose” the measures.
“This signal will be seen by the enemies of Israel, and the enemies of peace, that if they just stick with it they will win,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said.
Centrist and progressive Democratic lawmakers and Sanders have made repeated runs during the more than 1-year-old war at convincing the White House and Congress to condition U.S. arms shipments to Israel on improved treatment of Palestinian civilians in the offensive.
The Biden administration has increased its warnings and appeals to Netanyahu to do more to spare civilians in airstrikes and other attacks, and to allow more aid to reach Gaza. The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks that started the war killed about 1,200.
The death toll of Gazans killed since then was nearing 44,000 on Wednesday. Health officials in Gaza do not distinguish between civilians and combatants in tracking deaths.
Other than pausing one planned shipment of 2,000-pound bombs, Biden — at 82, a stalwart supporter of Israel since its modern founding — has rejected calls to limit military support to Israel.
The U.S.’s roughly $18 billion in military support for Israel during the war was a politically divisive issue in the U.S. presidential campaign, with Republicans vowing to keep up undiminished backing for Israel.
Trump has vowed strong support for Israel and has called on Netanyahu to bring the Gaza war to a quick close. He has offered few specifics on his plans on that.
Story by Ellen Knickmeyer. BDN writer Michael Shepherd contributed to this report.
