Senate motions blocking arms sales to Israel fail, but pick up Democrat support
Most Democrats reject Bernie Sanders-led resolutions, though size of faction opposed to Israel’s handling of Gaza war up markedly since January vote, underscoring internal divide
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
WASHINGTON — Roughly a third of Senate Democrats voted in favor of three failed bids to block the sale of offensive weapons to Israel in measures that tested the strength of the party’s progressive wing, which has pushed for a harder line against the Jewish state over its prosecution of the war against Hamas in Gaza.
Eighteen Democrats voted in favor of blocking the transfer of the $774 sale of tank rounds, 19 Democrats sought to block the $61 million sale of mortar rounds and 17 Democrats tried to stop the $262 sale of joint direct attack munitions (JDAMs).
Every Republican senator present and a majority of the 51-member Democratic caucus rejected all three Joint Resolutions of Disapproval led by progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, which were known ahead of time to be dead-on-arrival due to bipartisan support for Israel’s offensive against Hamas.
However, the vote underscored increasing discomfort among Democrats with the IDF campaign in the Strip and the division it has opened up in the party.
A Sanders-backed resolution in January to freeze US aid to Israel if the State Department didn’t produce a report within 30 days on alleged human rights violations by Israel in the Gaza Strip won only 10 Democratic votes, though some senators may have been voting with November’s election in mind.
The Wednesday night votes are unlikely to fully satisfy either side of the debate within the Democratic Party, as more traditionally pro-Israel members maintained their majority, though progressives added several notable members.
Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, who built relationships with several Israeli lawmakers during his first term before growing increasingly disillusioned by the Gaza humanitarian crisis, voted to block the sales of tank and mortar rounds. The No. 2 Democrat in the Senate Dick Durbin and the incoming Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jeanne Shaheen voted against all three arms deals.
Other Democrats who voted in favor of one or more of the resolutions were Senators Martin Heinrich, George Helmy, Mazie Hirono, Tim Kaine, Angus King, Ben Ray Lujan, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley, Chris Murphy, Brian Schatz, Tina Smith, Chris Van Hollen, Raphael Warnock, Elizabeth Warren and Peter Welch.
One Democrat, Wisconsin’s Senator Tammy Baldwin, voted present on all three votes.
The Haaretz daily reported that the resolutions’ supporters were looking to secure 25 votes, while opponents were hoping to hold the progressive camp to 10 to 15 votes.
In a speech ahead of the voting, Sanders detailed the spiraling humanitarian crisis in Gaza, highlighting the tens of thousands of civilian deaths and the increasingly dire conditions of those in Gaza. He cited testimony from the UN and aid organizations claiming that Israel is blocking humanitarian aid from reaching civilians. Israel says it takes steps to avoid harming civilians, while Hamas fights among them, and it has rejected assertions that it is blocking aid to Palestinians.
The Biden administration lobbied Democrats against supporting the measure, US officials revealed to The Times of Israel on Tuesday, arguing that withholding such weapons from Israel would embolden Israel’s adversaries, that it would not address the humanitarian crisis and robs Israel of what it needs to defend itself.
In a list of 11 talking points sent to Democratic senators, it said, among other things, that providing military equipment to Israel is an investment in Israel’s long-term security, as it faces threats from Iran and elsewhere, and that the administration is “working constantly” to improve conditions in Gaza.
“We understand that many Democrats are heartbroken by the level of carnage in Gaza and unsatisfied with Israel’s efforts to mitigate the humanitarian crisis, but these resolutions would not have addressed these issues — in fact, they could end up indirectly exacerbating them,” an administration official told The Times of Israel ahead of the votes.
Most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people has been displaced and the US has warned about the potential for famine after over a year of fighting sparked by Hamas’s October 7 onslaught that killed some 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 taken hostage. Hamas health officials say more than 43,922 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive. The unverified figure includes both civilians and combatants who Israel says have been killed at a two-to-one ratio.
Sanders asserted the military aid to Israel violates US law barring weapons sales to human rights abusers, noting the deaths of children and elderly Palestinians, and accusing Israel of blocking aid shipments. The Biden administration rejected this claim last week when it announced that it would not withhold weapons shipments to Israel for the time being. The administration had given Jerusalem 30 days to take a series of steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis or risk being deemed out of compliance with US law. While Israel didn’t fully meet all of the demands, US officials said it made sufficient progress on enough of them.
Nonetheless, the amount of aid that entered Gaza last month was the lowest in 2024 and the various steps taken by Israel to try and improve the situation has yet to make a major mark, as significant looting and continued IDF restrictions have kept much of the aid from reaching many of those who need it, while deadly airstrikes persist throughout the completely ravaged Strip.
Other governments will say to Americans, “’Don’t give us advice, don’t criticize us, when you have supported the mass starvation of children with your tax dollars,” Sanders stated.
Opponents argued the timing of the resolutions was inappropriate as Israel faces threats from terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah along with arch-enemy Iran.
“Israel is surrounded by enemies dedicated to its annihilation,” the Senate’s Democratic majority leader, Chuck Schumer, said in a Senate speech before the votes.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also argued for defeat of the bills. “This signal will be seen by the enemies of Israel, and the enemies of peace, that if they just stick with it they will win,” he said.
Agencies contributed to this report.
