“I (Senator Sanders) would also point out that poll after poll shows that a strong majority of the American people oppose sending more weapons and military aid to fund Netanyahu’s war machine,” the senator said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “According to a poll commissioned by J Street… 62% of Jewish Americans support withholding weapons shipments to Israel until Netanyahu agrees to an immediate cease-fire.”

In addition to stressing that his proposals would not affect any of the systems Israel uses to defend itself from incoming attacks, Sanders argued that “from a legal perspective, these resolutions are simple, straightforward, and not complicated. Bottom line: The United States government must obey the law—not a very radical idea. But unfortunately, that is not the case now.”

“The Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act are very clear: The United States cannot provide weapons to countries that violate internationally recognized human rights or block U.S. humanitarian aid,” he continued. “According to the United Nations, according to much of the international community, according to virtually every humanitarian organization on the ground in Gaza, Israel is clearly in violation of these laws.”

Senate Rejects Sanders’ Bid to Halt Arms to Israel Over Gaza Atrocities. “Our taxpayer dollars should be used to fund education, housing, and healthcare for Americans, not to support the destruction of innocent lives abroad,” said one advocacy leader “deeply saddened” by the votes. By Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams, Nov 20, 2024

Dear Senators,

We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to cosponsor and vote in favor of the four joint resolutions of disapproval introduced by Senators Sanders, Welch, and Merkley regarding several specific major arms sales to the government of Israel.

The joint resolutions of disapproval would suspend particular 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 last year. Independent human rights and conflict monitors have thoroughly documented the Israeli military’s use of weapons from the United States in attacks that have killed Palestinian civilians. President Biden has described Israeli government attacks as “indiscriminate.” The joint resolutions of disapproval would block certain sales of joint direct attack munitions (JDAMs) and tank shells, which the Israeli military has repeatedly used in attacks that have killed civilians in densely populated areas. The resolutions do not implicate missile defense systems.

Israeli military attacks have killed more than 40,000 Palestinians and decimated Gaza’s hospitals, schools, critical infrastructure, and residential housing. Human rights organizations have concluded that the Israeli military has repeatedly violated international humanitarian law. Humanitarian groups have stressed that Israeli forces continue to restrict the delivery of humanitarian aid as hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza are on the precipice of starvation and suffering from the spread of deadly diseases, including polio.

As part of a larger escalation in Lebanon, the Israeli military has invaded South Lebanon and is carrying out airstrikes around the country, including in densely populated areas of central Beirut. These strikes have put civilians at grave risk and have killed over 2,000 people, destroyed critical infrastructure, and displaced 1.2 million people. According to human rights organizations, these operations have included apparent violations of international humanitarian law.

Continued arms transfers to the Israeli government are contrary to U.S. law and the Biden administration’s own arms transfer policy, which include restrictions on arms transfers to any country based on human rights, international humanitarian law, and humanitarian assistance criteria. For example, U.S. law prohibits military aid to governments that restrict the delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance. As demonstrated by the National Security Memorandum 20 process, the Biden administration has not complied with these standards.

The Senate will soon have the opportunity to demonstrate that it opposes further suffering and stands for the rule of law and the protection of civilians by supporting the joint resolutions of disapproval introduced on September 25. We endorse Senator Sanders, Welch, and Merkley’s resolutions and urge all Senators to cosponsor and vote in favor of their passage.

Signed,

(Among the signatories are the American Friends Service Committee and Friends Committee on National Legislation)

Urging Congress to Pass Joint Resolutions of Disapproval and End Arms Transfers to Israel, Refugees International, Oct 22, 2024