Bernie Sanders Attempting to Block $20B Arms Sales to Israel: 'Disaster'

Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, is attempting to block over $20 billion in United States arms sales to Israel to combat what he called a "humanitarian disaster" in Gaza.

The first anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war is approaching next month. On October 7, 2023, Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, killed roughly 1,200 people in Israel and took some 250 hostages, with about 100 hostages remaining to this day. Israel subsequently launched a military campaign in Gaza that has killed around 41,000 people and left millions on the brink of famine and displaced from their homes.

On Wednesday, Sanders wrote in a letter to colleagues that the U.S. cannot be "complicit in this humanitarian disaster."

The senator is preparing several resolutions that would block the sales of missile systems, tank rounds, new fighter jets and other weapons.

"Much of this carnage in Gaza has been carried out with U.S.-provided military equipment," Sanders wrote in Wednesday's letter.

The resolutions will be forced for a vote as soon as next week. Sanders said his proposal would have some support. But it is unlikely to pass in the Senate, where members are split on their views of the Israel-Hamas war. Halting the arms sales to Israel would face even tougher odds in the Republican-led House, where GOP lawmakers have largely sided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war.

However, the action will be designed to send a message to Netanyahu's government that its war is hurting the U.S.'s longtime bipartisan support for Israel.

Sanders isn't the only Jewish member of the Senate to criticize the handling of the war in Gaza.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, called for a new election in Israel in March and said Netanyahu was an "obstacle to peace."

"As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me: the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7. The world has changed—radically—since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past," Schumer said on the Senate floor at the time.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's efforts to broker a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas with fellow mediators Qatar and Egypt have been slow-moving, and results seem uncertain at this time.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.