Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is pushing Congress to cut off military aid to Israel, filing formal resolutions this week to block weapons sales he says are fueling ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank.
The two resolutions of disapproval, which Sanders will force to a Senate vote, target $151.8 million in 1,000-pound bombs and $295 million in bulldozers. Sanders argues the bulldozers, used to demolish Palestinian homes and settlements, are instruments of occupation rather than defense.
Sanders, who is Jewish and whose father fled Poland to escape antisemitism before the Holocaust killed other family members, said criticizing Israel's government is not antisemitic. "Speaking out against the horrific and inhumane actions of Israel, and its extremist leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, is not antisemitic," he said. "It is, in fact, what every member of Congress and every American should be doing."
The push reflects a dramatic shift in American public opinion. A recent Pew poll found 80% of Democrats now hold unfavorable views of Israel, with 41% of Republicans joining them. A Quinnipiac survey showed 60% of Americans oppose sending arms to Israel, including three-quarters of Democrats and two-thirds of independents.
Sanders outlined the scale of destruction in Gaza since the October 2023 Hamas attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis. More than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed, with over 170,000 wounded, mostly women, children and elderly. The conflict has destroyed nearly all of Gaza's universities, schools, and 90% of housing units. Hospitals have been decimated, with 94% damaged or destroyed and 1,700 healthcare workers killed.
Beyond Gaza, Sanders pointed to West Bank operations he said violated international law. Since October 2023, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed 1,071 Palestinians, including 233 children. More than 6,000 Palestinian homes have been demolished, while over 200 new illegal settlements and outposts have been established. Netanyahu's security cabinet approved sweeping legal changes removing constraints on settlement expansion, while the prime minister declared "There will never be a Palestinian state."
Sanders also condemned the war in Lebanon, which he said Netanyahu convinced Trump to initiate against Iran. That conflict has killed over 2,000 people and resulted in Israel occupying 14% of Lebanese territory. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced plans to demolish all Lebanese border villages following the Gaza model, while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to reduce the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh to the condition of Khan Younis, a Gaza city reduced to rubble.
The resolutions represent the only formal congressional mechanism to block an arms sale. Whether they will pass remains uncertain, but the voting record could signal how far Democrats and Republicans have shifted on Middle East policy ahead of broader debates on military aid and foreign intervention.
Author James Rodriguez: "Sanders is forcing a vote Washington has been avoiding, and polling shows the public is already there."
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