Elizabeth Warren backs Senate bid to block arms sales to Israel
Washington DC - Senator Elizabeth Warren has announced her support for a series of resolutions to end certain offensive weapons transfers to Israel.
Warren on Thursday expressed her backing of joint resolutions of disapproval, led by independent Senator Bernie Sanders, which are expected to go for a vote next week.
The measures aim to block the transfer of certain military equipment worth around $20 billion, including joint direct attack munitions and tank and artillery shells.
The Massachusetts Democrat's announcement came after a November 13 deadline for Israel to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza came and went without any consequences for the apartheid regime. The Biden-Harris administration claimed Israel is not obstructing humanitarian aid – despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Domestic law prohibits arms sales to countries that are carrying out gross human rights violations and restricting American humanitarian assistance.
"Despite Netanyahu’s failure to meet the United States' demands, the Biden administration has taken no action to restrict the flow of offensive weapons. The failure by the Biden administration to follow U.S. law and to suspend arms shipments is a grave mistake that undermines American credibility worldwide," Warren said in a statement on Thursday.
"If this administration will not act, Congress must step up to enforce U.S. law and hold the Netanyahu government accountable through a Joint Resolution of Disapproval," she added.
Growing calls for end to US military aid to Israel
If Sanders succeeds in bringing the resolutions to the Senate floor next week as intended, it will be the first time in US history that Congress votes on whether to restrict arms sales to Israel.
Earlier this week, Demand Progress and a coalition of more than 55 other groups launched the No Weapons for War campaign in support of the resolutions.
On its website, the coalition notes that only three other senators, apart from Sanders and Warren, have expressed support for at least one of the resolutions:- Jeff Merkley (Democrat-Oregon)
- Peter Welch (Democrat-Vermont)
- Brian Schatz (Democrat-Hawaii)
The resolutions come amid mounting public calls for an end to US support for Israel's genocide in Palestine, which the Biden-Harris administration continues to back with diplomatic cover and billions of dollars in military assistance.
Israel has slaughtered at least 43,764 people in Gaza since October 2023, according to the territory's health ministry. The British medical journal Lancet and other experts believe the true number to be far greater, upwards of 186,000 as of July 2024.
Cover photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP