US Senate votes down Bernie Sanders’ resolution hinging Israel aid on human rights issue

The resolution aimed to halt US military aid to Israel unless a full report on IDF conduct in Gaza was provided within 30 days.

By Meir Dolev, World Israel News

The US Senate on Tuesday voted down a resolution proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders that sought a rapid evaluation by the State Department of Israel’s adherence to human rights in its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

The resolution aimed to halt US military aid to Israel unless this assessment was provided within 30 days, invoking for the first time a law requiring that all military assistance comply with international human rights agreements.

Failing with a 72 to 11 vote, the resolution received support from Democratic Senators Jeff Merkley, Chris Van Hollen, Martin Heinrich, Laphonza Butler, Ed Markey, Ben Ray Lujan, Mazie Hirono, Peter Welch, Elizabeth Warren, Republican Rand Paul and Sanders, an independent.

Despite the resolution’s defeat, it highlighted growing concerns among some Democrats, particularly the left wing, and a few Republican libertarians who generally oppose foreign aid. “We must ensure that US aid is being used in accordance with human rights and our own laws,” Sanders emphasized in his speech before the vote.

The White House said it was opposed to the resolution, which could have led to restrictions on US security assistance to Israel. Critics, including Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, argued that the resolution was ill-timed and sent a negative message, especially as Israel shifted to a more targeted campaign approach. “This resolution is not only off-base, it’s dangerous. It sends absolutely the wrong signal at the wrong time,” Graham stated.

Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, called the resolution “counterproductive.” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby described it as “unworkable,” stating, “The Israelis have indicated they are preparing to transition their operations to a much lower intensity.”

The Biden administration has urged Israel to de-escalate the war amid high civilian toll in Gaza. Hamas Health Ministry officials have put the figure at 23,000, but do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The IDF last week said that about 9,000 Hamas terrorists have been killed by the IDF. Israel maintains that Hamas is to blame for the casualties in Gaza, either indirectly because of its policy to embed itself in civilian populations, or directly, through its iron fist rule, which includes killing civilians who express dissent in any form, such as trying to escape combat areas as per the IDF’s instructions, taking humanitarian aid from trucks and protesting against the terror regime. Hamas and other terror groups have also killed scores of Palestinians with misfired rockets that fell short in the Gaza Strip.

The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing over 2,500 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in American public policy, harshly condemned Sanders’ resolution.

The resolution’s “introduction grants credence to the notion that Israel, a Democratic ally whose military comprises both Jewish and Arab soldiers, and which makes unparalleled efforts to avoid civilian casualties, might be committing war crimes or be unworthy of aid as it acts to eradicate a genocidal threat to its citizens,” CJV Vice President Rabbi Dov Fischer said in a statement.

“The United States could as soon investigate its own efforts to eliminate ISIS or the current Houthi threat to Red Sea shipping, as to use this pretense to target Israel. Sadly, Sen. Sanders distinguishes himself today as an outcast from the Jewish community, one who shamelessly exploits his Jewish identity in order to promote antisemitic attitudes and behaviors,” Fischer went on.

About 136 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza, with the fate of some still uncertain. The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 27 hostages and is continuing its efforts to secure the release of the remaining captives.

The United States annually provides Israel with $3.8 billion in security assistance, and President Biden has requested an additional $14 billion. The resolution, filed under the Foreign Assistance Act, sought to leverage Congress’s oversight of military assistance abroad, ensuring compliance with international human rights accords.

Earlier this month, Sanders demanded that Congress stop all funding to Israel because he believes Israel’s actions against Hamas have been “grossly disproportionate, immoral, and in violation of international law.”

Sanders wrote a statement urging Congress to reject the proposed $10.1 billion unconditional aid to Israel to avoid allowing it to “continue its brutal war against the Palestinian people.”

Sanders, who identifies as a Democratic Socialist, has been an outspoken critic of Israeli policy and particularly of Prime Minister Netanyahu, although in previous statements during the current war, he has stopped short of demanding Israel submit to a permanent ceasefire.

Bernie Sandersgaza warHamasUS Aid to Israel