Senate Declines to Block Weapons for Israel as Gaza Hunger Worries Grow

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

WASHINGTON—Senators rejected an effort to block U.S. arms sales to Israel, sticking with the increasingly isolated government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even as lawmakers of both parties expressed growing concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The votes took on new prominence following an international outcry over images of malnourished babies and children. Global food-insecurity experts have said famine is unfolding in the enclave, where at least 16 children under age 5 have died of hunger-related causes since mid-July, according to a U.N.-backed report.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) led the effort late Wednesday on two resolutions to block the sale of weapons to the Israeli military over its conduct in the war against Hamas. In debate on the Senate floor before the vote, he held up a stack of papers that he said contained the names of children in Gaza who have died during the war and asked to put their names into the congressional record.
'The time is long overdue for Congress to use the leverage we have—tens of billions in arms and military aid—to demand that Israel end these atrocities,' he said.
Sen. Jim Risch (R., Idaho), who leads the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, spoke against the resolutions. 'The solution to all of this isn't to deprive Israel of the weapons it needs. The solution is in the hands of Hamas,' he said.
Sanders's proposals would prohibit the $676 million sale of two types of 1,000-pound bombs and guidance kits that direct them, along with tens of thousands of assault rifles. The resolution to block assault rifles failed with 27 in favor and 70 opposed. The resolution to block bombs failed 24-73. No Republican in the GOP-controlled chamber supported either measure.
Democratic support has grown since April, when Sanders forced similar votes. Notable Democrats who voted to block weapons sales after rejecting earlier measures to do so included Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.) this week became the first Republican lawmaker to say that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
President Trump said Tuesday the U.S. would partner with Israel on new food centers in Gaza but stopped short of providing further details or clarifying how any new efforts would differ from existing distribution sites. Earlier this week, Trump also appeared to reject Netanyahu's claim that there was no starvation in Gaza by citing images of children on television who 'look very hungry.'
U.S. allies are stepping up pressure on Israel. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the U.K. would join France in recognizing a Palestinian state, unless Israel takes 'substantive steps' to end the war in Gaza, among other moves. Canada said it intends to recognize a Palestinian state, if conditions including a new election are met.
Only 32% of Americans currently approve of Israel's military action in Gaza, a 10 percentage point drop since September, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday.
Democrats have long grappled over how to navigate the divide between pro-Israel members and progressives who criticize the country's treatment of Palestinians. But cracks were also showing among Republicans, who have largely stood firmly behind Israel's actions following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.), long a skeptic of aid to Israel, this week became the first Republican lawmaker to say that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. She also sparred online with one of Israel's top supporters in the House, newcomer Florida Rep. Randy Fine.
In a social-media post earlier this month, Fine said: 'Release the hostages. Until then, starve away,' casting reports of hunger as Hamas propaganda. Greene shot back in a tweet that questioned how Fine's constituents feel about his 'calls for starving innocent people and children.'
Pro-Palestinian activists said the Senate votes were a litmus test for whether lawmakers are willing to pair sharper rhetoric with meaningful action.
'We are at the tipping point of the famine,' said Beth Miller, the political director of Jewish Voice for Peace Action, the political arm of a group that has been protesting U.S. support for Israel since the beginning of the war. 'Senators who keep voting to send weapons to Israel are acting against the will of the American people,' she said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), the highest-ranking Jewish U.S. elected official, condemned 'the devastating levels of hunger, starvation, suffering and death' being documented in Gaza, calling them 'wholly unacceptable.' He has been an outspoken critic of Netanyahu. Still, he voted against the Sanders resolutions on Wednesday.
Schumer signed a letter led by Sen. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.) to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, saying the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is 'unsustainable and worsens by the day.' The letter urged the Trump administration to use diplomatic efforts to end the fighting.
Write to Katy Stech Ferek at [e-mail] and Sabrina Siddiqui at [e-mail]