Slotkin says she would have voted to block arms sales to Israel
The Michigan senator said she was worried about the lack of food and medicine entering Gaza, and that 'images of emaciated children are hard to turn away from.'
'Should similar votes on offensive weapons come up in the future, I will take them on a case-by-case basis, with the hope of important humanitarian course corrections,' she wrote in a lengthy statement on X. 'While the leaders of Hamas deserve what they're getting in response to October 7, and Israel — like any other country in the world — has the right to defend itself, that doesn't include letting children go hungry.'
The resolutions, sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), would have blocked more than $675 million in weapons sales to Israel, and barred another transfer of tens of thousands of assault rifles. They were resoundingly defeated in the Senate, although a record number of Democrats — more than half the caucus — voted in favor.
The votes came amidst growing worry in the Democratic caucus over what the United Nations termed 'mounting evidence of famine and widespread starvation' in Gaza, where Israel's war is nearing its two-year mark.
President Trump has also expressed concern with the situation, acknowledging earlier this week that there was 'real starvation' in the territory.
Slotkin, who is Jewish, served three tours in Iraq as a CIA analyst in the early 2000s. She said in her statement that her experience in the Middle East showed her that aid could be safely distributed in complex war zones.
'[E]ven in the most violent years of the war, the U.S. still had the responsibility to facilitate humanitarian supplies into places like Fallujah,' she wrote. 'And militaries that can pull off dangerous and complex operations overseas can also ensure aid is safely distributed in occupied areas.'
Slotkin also said that the conduct of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had significantly undermined the country's standing among American lawmakers, writing that he had threatened 'the longstanding bipartisan consensus that have helped keep Israel safe since its inception.'
Still, Slotkin appeared to garner criticism from fellow Michigander Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D), the only Palestinian-American in Congress.
'Shame on every senator who voted to continue arming the Israeli apartheid regime or didn't even have the courage to show up and vote,' the representative wrote on X.
Michigan is home to one of the largest populations of Arab Americans in the country and was the epicenter of backlash during the 2024 election against the Biden administration's support of Israel.
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Los Angeles Times
17 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Israeli minister visits contentious holy site as 27 aid-seekers are reported killed in Gaza
DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip — A far-right Israeli minister visited and prayed at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site on Sunday, triggering regional condemnation and fears that the provocative move could further escalate tensions with Palestinians. The visit came as hospitals in Gaza reported that 27 more Palestinians seeking food aid were killed by Israeli fire. With Israel already facing global criticism over famine-like conditions in the besieged Gaza Strip, the visit by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the hillside compound threatened to further set back efforts by international mediators to halt Israel's nearly two-year military offensive in the territory. The area, which Jews call the Temple Mount, is the holiest site in Judaism and was home to the ancient biblical temples. Muslims call the site the Noble Sanctuary, and today it is home to the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam. Visits are considered a provocation across the Muslim world and openly praying violates a long-standing protocol at the combustible site. Under that protocol, Jews have been allowed to tour the site but are barred from praying, with Israeli police and troops providing security. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said after Ben-Gvir's visit that Israel would not change the norms governing the holy site. Ben-Gvir made the stop after Hamas' release of videos showing two emaciated Israeli hostages. The videos caused an uproar in Israel and raised pressure on the government to reach a deal to bring home from Gaza the remaining hostages who were captured on Oct. 7, 2023, in the attack that triggered the war. During his visit to the hilltop compound, Ben-Gvir called for Israel to annex the Gaza Strip and encourage Palestinians to leave, reviving rhetoric that has complicated negotiations to end the war. 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Two hospitals in southern and central Gaza reported receiving bodies from routes leading to U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid sites, including 11 killed in the Teina area en route to a distribution point in Khan Younis. Three Palestinian eyewitnesses, including one traveling through Teina, told the Associated Press that shootings occurred on the routes, which are in military zones secured by Israeli forces. They said they saw soldiers open fire on hungry crowds advancing toward troops. Eyewitnesses seeking food have reported similar gunfire attacks in recent days near aid distribution sites, leaving dozens of Palestinians dead. The United Nations reported that 859 people were killed near GHF sites from May 27 to July 31 and that hundreds more have been slain along the routes of U.N.-led food convoys. GHF says its armed contractors have used only pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. Israel's military has said it fires only warning shots as well. Both claimed the death tolls have been exaggerated. Israel's military did not immediately respond to questions about Sunday's reported fatalities at the sites but said it was reviewing the Red Crescent's report. GHF's media office said there was no gunfire 'near or at our sites.' Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry said six more Palestinian adults died of malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours. It said Sunday's casualties brought the death toll among Palestinian adults to 82 over the five weeks since the ministry started counting deaths among adults in late June. Malnutrition-related deaths are not included in the ministry's count of war casualties. Ninety-three children have died of causes related to malnutrition since the war in Gaza started in 2023, the ministry said. Israel has taken a series of steps to increase the flow of food into Gaza over the last week, but U.N. and relief groups say conditions have not improved. The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, and abducting 251. The militant group is still holding 50 captives, about 20 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 60,400 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count but says most of the dead are women and children, is staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties. Israel has disputed its figures, but hasn't provided its own account of casualties. Shurafa, Metz and Magdy write for the Associated Press and reported from Deir al Balah, Jerusalem and Cairo, respectively.
New York Post
17 minutes ago
- New York Post
Trump's EU trade deal win: Letters to the Editor — Aug. 4, 2025
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The Hill
17 minutes ago
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