NEWS: Sanders and Colleagues Move to Block Arms Sales to Israel

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today introduced Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block the sale of more than $20 billion in offensive U.S. weaponry to Israel. Sanders spoke last week on the Senate floor about why the sales must not move forward and today issued the following statement:

Today, with colleagues, I introduced Joint Resolutions of Disapproval seeking to block certain arms sales to Israel. The Senate will vote on these resolutions when it reconvenes in November. Let me explain why these arms sales must not proceed.

Israel clearly had the right to respond to Hamas' horrific terrorist attack on October 7th, which killed 1,200 innocent Israelis and took hundreds of hostages. But Prime Minister Netanyahu's extremist government has not simply waged war against Hamas. It has waged all-out war against the Palestinian people, killing more than 41,000 Palestinians and injuring more than 95,000 - 60 percent of whom are women, children, or elderly people. Netanyahu has bombed hospitals and schools, starved children, destroyed infrastructure and housing stock, and made life unlivable in Gaza. The United States must end its complicity in this atrocity.

Sending more weapons is not only immoral, it is also illegal. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act lay out clear requirements for the use of American weaponry - Israel has egregiously violated those rules. American weapons have been used indiscriminately, and several of the systems included in these sales are responsible for a large number of civilian casualties. There is a mountain of documentary evidence demonstrating that these weapons are being used in violation of U.S. and international law. It is also clear that Israel has blocked U.S. humanitarian aid, making it ineligible for U.S. security assistance under Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act.

There are also clear policy reasons not to proceed with these arms sales. For months, the Biden Administration has been trying to reach a ceasefire deal that would secure the release of the hostages and allow more aid to flow into Gaza. Every time an agreement appears close, Netanyahu introduces new demands and sinks the deal. It is clear that Netanyahu is prolonging the war to cling to power and avoid prosecution for corruption. Meanwhile, his government has also overseen record illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank and unleashed a wave of violence there that has killed nearly 700 Palestinians, including 150 children, and several Americans over the last 11 months.

And now the world must contend with the dramatic escalation in Lebanon.

President Biden has emphatically called for de-escalation and said that a "full-scale war is not in anyone's interest." He has underlined that a ceasefire for hostage deal in Gaza is the key to a diplomatic solution to the wider conflict. That is the policy of the United States: to pursue a ceasefire for hostage deal that will prevent further escalation, stop the killing and the rocket attacks, allow displaced people to return to their homes sooner, and finally bring the hostages home.

Netanyahu has resisted these calls. Instead, at every stage of this conflict, when presented with the choice between military escalation and diplomacy, Netanyahu has chosen to escalate to preserve his coalition at home.

For all of these reasons - moral, legal, and strategic - sending more weapons to Netanyahu's extremist government is unacceptable. That is why many of our closest allies have already stopped offensive arms transfers. Congress must now act to uphold U.S. and international law and use our leverage to advance U.S. policy goals.

The Joint Resolutions of Disapproval are as follows:

• Sanders, Welch, Merkley to block the sale of additional Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs);
• Sanders, Welch, Merkley to block the sale of 120mm tank cartridges;
• Sanders, Welch, Merkley to block the sale of 120mm High Explosive mortar cartridges;
• Sanders, Welch, Merkley to block the sale of enhanced JDAM receivers;
• Sanders and Welch to block the sale of Modified M1148A1P2 Medium Tactical Vehicles;
• Sanders to block the sale of fifty new F-15IA aircraft, associated weapons and parts, as well as upgrade kits for existing F-15 aircraft.

Read the fact sheet, here.