Anti-Israel sentiments growing in US Senate despite failed bid to cut arms sales

The US Senate has voted down a resolution aimed at blocking Washington’s arms sales to Israel, but anti-Israel sentiments are markedly growing among senators over Tel Aviv’s atrocities in the besieged Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, and southern Lebanon.

On Wednesday, US senators rejected two joint resolutions, drafted by Bernie Sanders, which would have blocked the sale of bombs and bulldozers to the occupying entity, although the votes showed an increasing appetite among Democrats to restrict US weapons transfers to a longtime Washington ally.

It was the fourth time since October 2023 that Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats, failed to curb the relentless sales of arms and demolition hardware to Israel, which has waged a genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023 and a devastating bombardment and mass displacement in southern Lebanon for the past couple of weeks.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet also commenced an unprovoked war of aggression, in collaboration with the US, against Iran on February 28, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and led to the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure across the country.

The two resolutions, one targeting a $151 million sale of 12,000 1,000-pound bombs and the other a $295 million worth of Caterpillar D9 series bulldozers, spare parts, and related services, failed by votes of 36-63 and 40-59, respectively.

However, what was noticeable on Wednesday was the fact that the number of senators supporting the resolutions has been increasing for the past year. Last April, during the current Congress, just 15 senators of the caucus’s 47 members supported similar measures, but in July, 27 senators backed another batch of resolutions.

US approves arms sales to Israel worth $6.67 billion and to Saudi Arabia worth $9 billion

The US State Department has approved a massive new series of arms sales to Israel totaling $6.67 billion and to Saudi Arabia worth $9 billion.

The growing tally shows that anti-Israel sentiments are growing among the chamber’s Democrats over Netanyahu’s conduct in the invasions of Gaza, southern Lebanon, and Iran.

“Today, more than 80% of the Democratic caucus stood with the American people and voted to block US military aid to Netanyahu and his horrific, illegal wars. We are making progress,” Sanders said on social media after the votes, stressing, “When we started this effort, there were just 11 votes; now there are 40.”

In a statement late on Wednesday, Sanders noted that such a “shift reflects where the American people are.”

“Americans, whether they are Democrats, Republicans, or independents, want to see our tax money invested in improving lives here at home – not used to kill innocent women and children in [West Asia] and put American troops in harm’s way as part of Netanyahu’s illegal wars of expansion,” he stressed.

Sanders also expressed his surprise that “despite overwhelming opposition across this country, Republicans continue to side with Netanyahu and Trump.”

Before the vote, the independent senator called on Congress to stand up against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which has spent tens of millions of dollars influencing races in the lead-up to the 2024 US elections, and continues to spend heavily before the November midterms.

“Let us be clear: given the horrific and illegal behavior of the Netanyahu” cabinet “over the last three years, the American people have had enough. Support for Israel in this country has plummeted,” Sanders stressed, citing a Pew Research Center survey released this month, finding that 80 percent of Democrats and 41 percent of Republicans view the regime negatively.

The administrations of Trump and former president Joe Biden have provided Tel Aviv with more than $21 billion in armed aid since October 2023, despite the International Criminal Court’s issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former minister for military affairs Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.

Separately on Wednesday, Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, forced once again a vote on a war powers resolution that would have prevented Trump from continuing hostilities against Iran, but it was voted down by Republicans.

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