United States (U.S.) Senator Bernie Sanders has submitted a resolution to block the $735 million sale of precision-guided missiles to Israel as pressure mounted in the Democratic Party for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The joint resolution of disapproval (JRD) — similar to the House version submitted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday — is almost certain not to pass, given strong support for Israel in both the House and Senate.
The legislation is expected to spark further debate on the issue of Israel in Congress, where a growing number of Democrats have been taking a more critical stance against the longtime ally.
“At a moment when U.S.-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,” said Sanders, an independent who votes with Democrats, upon submitting the resolution to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The top panel’s chair, Sen. Bob Menendez, said he opposed the measure and added that he was not certain the JRD could be brought to a vote as it was filed on the last of 15 days where Congress can still block the sale before US President Joe Biden is allowed to sign off.
Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees backed the $735 million purchase during an informal review before May 5 — five days before the fighting in Gaza began.
