The US Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly rejected three resolutions aimed at halting certain US arms transfers to Israel, despite progressive lawmakers’ concerns about its ongoing genocidal war in Gaza.

All the yes votes came from the Democratic caucus, while the no votes came from both Democrats and Republicans, underscoring the division within President Biden’s Democratic Party over policy toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government Netanyahu.

Seventy-nine of the 100 senators voted against advancing a resolution that would have blocked the sale of tank rounds to Israel, while 18 approved it and one voted in favor. Seventy-eight opposed a second measure, which would have stopped the transport of mortar rounds, while 19 supported it and one voted in favor.

And 80 people voted against a third measure that would have halted shipments of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMS) kits, with 17 in favor and one vote present. The kits, which convert a standard unguided bomb using fins and a GPS guidance system into a guided weapon, are manufactured by Boeing.

The “resolutions of disapproval” were filed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, a progressive independent who is aligned with Democrats and co-sponsored by several Democrats who also criticized the rampant killing of Palestinian civilians during the war.

A decades-long tradition of strong bipartisan support for Israel in Congress meant the resolutions would never pass, but supporters hoped significant support in the Senate would encourage Israel’s government and the Biden administration to do more to protect Palestinian civilians.

Sanders has filed a total of six resolutions covering about $20 billion in arms for Israel, but only brought three to a vote this week.

The Biden administration opposed the resolutions. In a list of 11 talking points sent to Democratic senators, he said, among other things, that providing military equipment to Israel is an investment in Israel’s long-term security and that the administration is “constantly working” to improve conditions in Gaza.

Humanitarian catastrophe

Israel’s genocidal war in the Palestinian enclave has killed more than 43,922 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza health officials. Most of the population of Gaza 2.3 million were also displaced and the enclave is in danger of starvation, after more than a year of war.

Sanders said military aid to Israel violates US law that prohibits the sale of arms to human rights violators, citing the numerous deaths of children and elderly Palestinians and accusing Israel of blocking aid shipments.

“It is time to tell the Netanyahu government that it cannot use American taxpayer dollars and American weapons in violation of US and international law and our moral values,” Sanders said in a Senate speech before the vote.

Opponents said the timing of the resolutions was inappropriate as Israel faces threats from Palestinian resistance groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as Iran.

“Israel is surrounded by enemies dedicated to its annihilation,” Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a Senate speech before the vote.

But it could be the last chance to stop any gun sales before the Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

Many American Muslims voted against Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, in this month’s presidential election, citing the administration’s support for Israel. But Trump, in his first term, strongly supported the conservative Netanyahu government.

Israel says it has been working to meet humanitarian needs and the main problem with aid deliveries has been challenges with UN distribution. His embassy in Washington did not respond this week to a request for comment on Sanders’ resolutions.

Biden, whose term ends in January, has been a strong supporter of Israel since the October 2023 Hamas incursion left 1,200 dead and took 250 hostages, according to Israeli accounts.

The Biden administration told Israel last month that it had 30 days to improve the flow of aid to Gaza or the risk of consequences for US military assistance.

After that period, Washington said on November 12 that it had concluded that Israel had made progress and was not currently blocking aid to Gaza, a claim rejected by many aid groups.

US law gives Congress the right to stop major foreign arms sales by passing resolutions of disapproval. Although no such resolution has passed Congress and survived a presidential veto, the law requires the Senate to vote if a resolution is filed. Such resolutions sometimes led to angry debates, embarrassing for former presidents.

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