Sanders introduces resolution to block US arms sale to Israel

Independent US Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced a resolution blocking a $735 million weapons sale to Israel amid the increased Israeli aggression against Palestinians.

Sanders presented the resolution to the Senate on Thursday which is similar to the one introduced by a number of Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Wednesday in response to Israel’s atrocities in the Gaza Strip.

“At a moment when US-made bombs are devastating Gaza, and killing women and children, we cannot simply let another huge arms sale go through without even a congressional debate," Sanders said in a statement issued on Thursday.

"I believe that the United States must help lead the way to a peaceful and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians. We need to take a hard look at whether the sale of these weapons is actually helping do that, or whether it is simply fueling conflict,” added Sanders, an independent who votes with Democrats.

The Washington Post first reported Sanders's resolution, which only requires a simple majority to pass the Senate, but it would need a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House if it is vetoed by President Joe Biden.

US presidents have traditionally vetoed such resolutions. Former US President Donald Trump vetoed three resolutions approved by Congress in 2019 seeking to stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Biden administration approved the planned sale of $735 million in precision-guided missiles to Israel this year, and sent it to Congress for formal review.

A group of US Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a measure to block Biden’s controversial plan to supply Israel with millions of dollars of weapons at the time of the Tel Aviv regime’s devastating bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

The contentious plan at the time of Tel Aviv's unprecedented military aggression on the Gaza Strip drew widespread condemnation from rights advocates and progressive legislators, who are demanding that Biden pressure Israel to end its offensive on the populated besieged enclave.

US ‘contributed to the death, displacement and disenfranchisement of millions’

The resolution, led by New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is seeking to prohibit the "transfer of defense articles, including defense services and technical data" to Israel.

“For decades, the US has sold billions of dollars in weaponry to Israel without ever requiring them to respect basic Palestinian rights. In so doing, we have directly contributed to the death, displacement and disenfranchisement of millions,” Ocasio-Cortez in a statement announcing the resolution.

“The United States should not be rubber-stamping weapons sales to the Israel as they deploy our resources to target international media outlets, schools, hospitals, humanitarian missions and civilian sites for bombing,” wrote Ocasio-Cortez in a Twitter post.

“It is long past time to end the US policy of unconditional military arms sales, particularly to governments that have violated human rights,” she said.

Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, a Muslim of Somali descent, said it would be “appalling” to sell weapons to Israel “without any strings attached."

Omar said that the potential sale would be “seen as a green light for continued escalation and will undercut any attempts at brokering a ceasefire.”

Biden admin. approves sale of $735 million in precision-guided weapons to Israeli regime: Report

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RashidaTlaib of Michigan said in a statement that, “Approving this sale now, while failing to even try to use it as leverage for a ceasefire, sends a clear message to the world — the US is not interested in peace, and does not care about the human rights and lives of Palestinians.”

Tlaib, who is of Palestinian descent and has family in the occupied territory, spoke with Biden at a Detroit-area airport on Tuesday during the president’s trip to the state.

The resolution was also co-sponsored by Democrats Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, Cori Bush of Missouri, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Betty McCollum.

However, the resolution, which has to clear the House Foreign Affairs Committee and get a floor vote by May 20 to meet the statutory 15-day deadline, is a long shot as a majority of Democrats and Republicans have been outspoken in their support for Israel.

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