US Senate decision reveals deepening divide within Democrats regarding their stance on Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
The United States Senate has turned down an attempt to stop arms sales to Israel, even as there is rising criticism worldwide of its ongoing war in Gaza.
Despite its failure, the vote on Wednesday underscored the increasing resistance within the Democratic Party to Israel’s military campaign.
Both a resolution to halt the sale of 20,000 automatic assault rifles and another to stop a $675m shipment of bombs to Israel received support from 27 Democrats and 24 Democrats respectively.
No Republicans supported these measures, showing a party-line disagreement on the issue.
Brought forward by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, these efforts mark the closest the US Senate has come to curbing arms exports to Israel.
A similar motion by Sanders in April received support from 15 Democrats, while a vote in November attracted 18 Democratic supporters.
Before the vote, the independent Senator Sanders stated that the US should halt military aid to Israel’s “racist government” due to its use of such weapons against innocent civilians.
On social media, Sanders labeled Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as a “disgusting liar” and highlighted the dire plight of children in the region.
First-time supporters of Sanders’ stance, such as Washington Senator Patty Murray, stated that although the resolutions are not flawless, she cannot condone the suffering of innocent children in Gaza.
In her statement, Murray, a longtime supporter of Israel, argued that Netanyahu’s actions are extending the war to maintain his power and pointed to the artificial famine in Gaza as a humanitarian crisis.
The growing disagreement among Democrats over their support for Israel comes as public opinion in the US shows signs of increased opposition to the conflict.
A recent Gallup poll revealed that only 32 percent of Americans now approve of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, a decline of 10 percentage points since September.
Post-poll breakdowns show only 8 percent of Democrats approve of Israel’s actions, with a stark contrast to the 71 percent approval among Republicans.
Despite its failure, the vote on Wednesday underscored the increasing resistance within the Democratic Party to Israel’s military campaign.
Both a resolution to halt the sale of 20,000 automatic assault rifles and another to stop a $675m shipment of bombs to Israel received support from 27 Democrats and 24 Democrats respectively.
No Republicans supported these measures, showing a party-line disagreement on the issue.
Brought forward by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, these efforts mark the closest the US Senate has come to curbing arms exports to Israel.
A similar motion by Sanders in April received support from 15 Democrats, while a vote in November attracted 18 Democratic supporters.
Before the vote, the independent Senator Sanders stated that the US should halt military aid to Israel’s “racist government” due to its use of such weapons against innocent civilians.
On social media, Sanders labeled Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as a “disgusting liar” and highlighted the dire plight of children in the region.
First-time supporters of Sanders’ stance, such as Washington Senator Patty Murray, stated that although the resolutions are not flawless, she cannot condone the suffering of innocent children in Gaza.
In her statement, Murray, a longtime supporter of Israel, argued that Netanyahu’s actions are extending the war to maintain his power and pointed to the artificial famine in Gaza as a humanitarian crisis.
The growing disagreement among Democrats over their support for Israel comes as public opinion in the US shows signs of increased opposition to the conflict.
A recent Gallup poll revealed that only 32 percent of Americans now approve of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, a decline of 10 percentage points since September.
Post-poll breakdowns show only 8 percent of Democrats approve of Israel’s actions, with a stark contrast to the 71 percent approval among Republicans.