Senate votes down Israel arms sales ban, despite growing Democrat support
The first of two votes pushed by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders — which came to 27-70 — renewed efforts to halt American weapons transfers in protest of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and a deepening humanitarian crisis. Democrats split on the vote, with 12 new supporters who previously backed arms sales to Israel.
'This resolution is absolutely necessary because the United States will have no credibility in the international community if we don't stand up against this,' said Sanders, an Independent.
The effort coincided with growing international outrage, including rare criticism of Israel from President Donald Trump, who this week publicly contradicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's denial that Gaza is facing a hunger crisis. Britain, France and several other nations warned they would recognize Palestine as a state unless Israel takes steps to improve conditions in Gaza and commits to a long-term peace process.
This marks the third time Sanders has forced a Senate vote on halting Israeli arms sales since late 2024, each time citing the toll on Palestinian civilians.
New supporters included Maine Independent Sen. Angus King , who said this week he would no longer support Netanyahu's government because Israel appears to be using starvation as a weapon of war.
'I had just had it,' King said in an interview. 'I kept expecting that Israel would wake up and realize what an awful thing they were perpetuating, and that surely they would at least open up humanitarian aid. They just continued to not do it, and I just reached the point where enough was enough.'
Other new supporters since April included Senate Foreign Relations Committee's ranking member Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Senate Armed Services ranking member Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Senate Appropriations ranking member Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
The Senate in April rejected two resolutions from Sanders aimed at blocking billions of dollars in arms sales to Israel. That time, it followed the collapse of a ceasefire in Gaza and was backed by just 15 senators. That was fewer than in November when 19 senators backed an Israel resolution.
One of Wednesday's resolutions would have blocked the $676 million sale of 5,000 heavy duty bombs and 5,000 guidance kits for bombs. The other would have prohibited the sale of tens of thousands of fully automatic assault rifles.
Sanders argued the arms transfers would 'clearly violate' U.S. legal requirements for foreign military sales because Israel has used weapons provided by Washington to kill thousands of Palestinian civilians.
Senate Foreign Relations Chair Jim Risch (R-Idaho) defended the sales, arguing that Hamas, and not Israel, is perpetuating the war.
'These are misguided resolutions, and if adopted, would … abandon America's closest ally in the Middle East,' he said in a floor speech.
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