US senator set to push votes next week to halt nearly $9B in new arms to Israel

United States Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Thursday that he will force votes next week on halting nearly $9 billion in new military aid for Israel, following its large-scale strikes in Gaza that shattered a cease-fire and claimed hundreds of additional lives.

Sanders stated he would introduce two resolutions of disapproval to block the sale of offensive weapons proposed by the Trump administration, amounting to approximately $8.8 billion. The independent senator said the munitions, including bombs, would enable Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “extremist government to continue its destruction of Gaza.”

“Netanyahu has clearly violated U.S. and international law in this brutal war, and we must end our complicity in the carnage,” Sanders said in a statement.

“This war has been conducted almost entirely with American weapons and roughly $18 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars. Israel has dropped U.S.-provided 2,000-pound bombs into densely populated neighborhoods, killing hundreds of civilians while targeting a small number of Hamas fighters, with little effort to distinguish between civilians and combatants. These actions are immoral and illegal,” he added.

Sanders’ 2nd attempt to block arms sales to Israel

This will be Sanders’ second attempt to block arms sales to Israel through a resolution of disapproval. His initial effort in November was unsuccessful, though it garnered support from about 40% of Democrats, a notable figure given that President Joe Biden’s administration actively opposed the measure.

The weapons package Sanders seeks to block includes 35,000 2,000-pound bombs, which Israel has used in Gaza in attacks condemned internationally as indiscriminate.

“Hamas initiated this war with its brutal terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 innocent people and resulted in 250 hostages being taken. Israel had a right to respond against Hamas. However, Netanyahu’s extremist government has waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian population,” Sanders said. “Congress must act to block these arms sales.”

Death toll rises as Israel’s attacks continue

Israel launched an aerial offensive on Gaza on March 18, killing 855 people and injuring nearly 1,900. The strikes shattered a cease-fire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas that had been in place since January.

The UN estimates that around 124,000 Palestinians have been displaced once again due to Israel’s actions.

Since October 2023, more than 50,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, have been killed, and over 113,900 have been injured in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.