More than thirty-six Democrats supported a resolution introduced by Bernie Sanders in the US Senate to block arms sales to Israel.The move indicates growing concern within the party about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid the ongoing war with Iran. The Senate voted on two separate resolutions aimed at stopping the sale of bulldozers and bombs to Israel.Both measures were opposed by all Republicans and were ultimately rejected by votes of 40-59 and 36-63, the Associated Press reported. Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, has repeatedly forced votes on the issue to pressure lawmakers from both parties.After the vote, he said: “It is clear that Democrats are starting to listen to the average American who is sick and tired of spending billions of dollars to support Netanyahu’s horrific wars while people in this country cannot afford housing or health care.”Among those who supported the resolutions was Mark Kelly, who had previously opposed some of Sanders’ previous attempts.Explaining his decision, Kelly said that “reckless decisions” made by Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump influenced his vote. He pointed to the expansion of the conflict in Lebanon and the continued violence against Palestinians as factors that “undermine the path to peace.”“Under Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government, we have witnessed an expanded war in Lebanon that has endangered innocent Lebanese civilians, and we have witnessed ongoing violence against Palestinians and the demolition of their homes in the West Bank.
All of this undermined the path to peace, Kelly said. However, several prominent Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, voted against the resolutions. On the same day, Democrats also supported a separate resolution to halt US intervention in the Iranian conflict, although that measure was rejected by a vote of 47 to 52. Senator Chris Coons, who voted against Sanders’ decisions on Israel but supported ending the war with Iran, said his decisions should not be seen as an endorsement of Netanyahu’s actions or an abandonment of Israel.Republicans strongly opposed these measures, warning of broader geopolitical consequences. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch said that blocking arms sales could embolden Iran, and noted that the United States is willing to leave Israel vulnerable. “They will not help the United States of America,” Risch said before the vote.