Sanders introduces new resolutions to block U.S. arms sales to Israel

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is once again introducing legislation aimed at halting U.S. arms sales to Israel.

The Senator’s office says that the four, new Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) would block $8.56 billion worth of weapons to the country. The proposed arms package includes 2,166 Small Diameter Bombs, 2,800 500-pound bombs, tens of thousands of fuzes, thousands of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits for use on bombs, 3,000 Hellfire Missiles, and 10,000 155mm High Explosive artillery shells.

“Israel had the right to defend itself against Hamas and respond to the barbaric October 7, 2023, terrorist attack, which killed 1,200 innocent people and took over 240 hostages,” said Sanders in a statement. “But Netanyahu’s extremist government has instead waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people, killing more than 48,000 and injuring more than 111,000 – the vast majority of whom are women and children.” 

“Tragically, much of this carnage has been carried out with American bombs and weapons,” he continued. “Netanyahu has used our bombs to damage or destroy almost 70 percent of the structures in Gaza, including hundreds of schools. All of this has been done in clear violation of U.S. and international law. With Trump and Netanyahu openly talking about forcibly displacing millions of Palestinians from Gaza – in other words, ethnic cleansing – it would be unconscionable to provide more of the bombs and weapons Israel has used to kill so many civilians and make life unlivable in Gaza.” 

Sanders points out that the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) require such sales to be consistent with internationally-recognized human rights.

Sanders’s effort comes amid an increasingly fragile ceasefire. This week Hamas officials accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “purposely sabotaging” the negotiated prisoner exchange.

Sanders introduced a similar set of resolutions last fall. Although they were rejected, 18 Democrats voted in favor of at least one of those resolutions, including Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). It’s currently unclear whether the legislation will generate more support now that Donald Trump is in office. There are also six new Democrats in the chamber and, of that group, only Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) has indicated that he would have opposed the move. So far, the new round resolutions lack any cosponsors.

Some supporters, like Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, have been attacked by pro-Israel groups for backing the earlier effort. “Bernie Sanders is once again trying to block life-saving military aid to Israel. Will Senate Democrats like Ossoff join him again?” tweeted the Senate Republicans account this week.

Earlier this month the State Department informed Congress that it plans to sell Israel another $7 billion in weapons. The announcement came just two days after Trump met with Benjamin Netanyahu at The White House and announced his plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza and take it over. The Biden administration had notified Congress of the sale shortly before leaving office.