In a significant development, the United States Senate has overwhelmingly rejected a resolution that sought to impose conditions on security assistance to Israel. Late on Tuesday, senators voted against the motion, with 72 senators choosing to set the resolution aside, while only 11 backed it. This decisive vote easily cleared the simple majority needed to kill the resolution in the 100-member chamber.
The resolution, brought forward by Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, aimed to freeze security aid to Israel unless the Department of State produced a report within 30 days examining whether Israel had committed human rights violations in its campaign in Gaza. While the resolution was ultimately defeated, it highlighted growing concerns among some of President Joe Biden’s fellow Democrats, particularly those on the left, over the ongoing supply of US weapons to Israel despite the heavy toll on Palestinian civilians during the Gaza conflict.
Senator Sanders, in his speech urging support for the resolution, emphasized the need to ensure that US aid is being used in accordance with human rights and domestic laws. He expressed disappointment that the Senate had failed to consider any measure looking at the war’s effect on civilians. However, the White House had already expressed its opposition to the resolution, as it could have paved the way for the imposition of conditions on security assistance to Israel.
Opponents of the resolution argued that it sent the wrong message at a time when Israel had stated its shift towards a more targeted campaign. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham stated, “This resolution is not only off-base, it’s dangerous. It sends absolutely the wrong signal at the wrong time.”
Over the years, the US has provided Israel with $3.8 billion in military assistance annually, including fighter jets and powerful bombs. In the midst of the war in Gaza, President Joe Biden has requested an additional $14 billion from Congress. Sanders filed his resolution under the Foreign Assistance Act, which enables Congress to direct the State Department to provide a human rights report and other relevant information on any country receiving US security assistance.
Sanders’s resolution, if passed, would have required the State Department to submit a report to Congress within 30 days. Subsequently, Congress could have considered another resolution proposing changes to security assistance to Israel. However, the Biden administration has dismissed Sanders’s approach as “unworkable,” as it seeks a transition from Israel and strives to ensure support both domestically and internationally, countering a growing backlash against the scenes of destruction in Gaza.
While the Biden administration claims to have urged Israel to minimize civilian casualties, Israel maintains that it will not cease its operations until Hamas, the ruling entity in Gaza, is eradicated. The war was triggered by Hamas’s surprise offensive across the border fence on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,139 people. In the latest tally, health authorities in Gaza reported at least 24,285 people killed amid attacks by Israeli forces, with thousands more feared to be buried under the rubble.
The Israeli bombardment has forced the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants from their homes, some multiple times, and has caused a severe humanitarian crisis. The region is experiencing shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies due to Israel’s ongoing siege of Gaza.
As the resolution was struck down, the US-Israel relationship remains intact, with the Biden administration continuing to navigate the complexities of the conflict and striving to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
