Senator Bernie Sanders has failed for the fourth time to force through resolutions blocking US weapons sales to Israel, but the vote tally showed growing Democratic support for imposing conditions on military aid. The independent senator, who caucuses with Democrats, brought two resolutions: one to halt the sale of $295m worth of bulldozers and another to stop a $151.8m sale of 12,000 1,000lb bombs to Israel's military.
Forty senators backed the bulldozer resolution, and 36 supported the bombs measure, marking a significant increase from earlier attempts. In April, only 15 of the 47 Democratic caucus members voted for similar measures, rising to 27 in July. The shift reflects changing attitudes among Democratic voters towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct in Gaza and southern Lebanon, as well as his collaboration with Donald Trump in the conflict with Iran.
Speaking before the vote, Sanders described the effort as an opportunity to stand up to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), which has spent tens of millions of dollars influencing US elections. He cited a Pew Research Center survey finding that 80% of Democrats and 41% of Republicans view Israel negatively. 'Maybe, just maybe, the Senate should start listening to their constituents and not just to the wealthy individuals who fund Aipac,' he said.
California senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, who had previously voted against such measures, supported the resolutions this time. In a joint statement, they said being a stalwart friend of Israel does not mean agreeing with all decisions of its government. In the House of Representatives, progressive lawmakers such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have called for cutting all military aid to Israel, including defensive weapons like the Iron Dome.
On Monday, dozens of protesters were arrested outside the New York City offices of senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, urging them to vote in favour of Sanders's resolutions. Both senators ultimately opposed the measures, maintaining their previous stance. Groups including Indivisible, MoveOn, J Street and Jewish Voice for Peace had sent a letter urging senators to support halting the weapons sales.
