Senate Rejects Bernie Sanders' Bids to Block Arms Sale to Israel

Facts

• The US Senate rejected three proposals to block weapons packages to Israel on Wednesday, including S.J. Res. 111 regarding the sale of 120mm tank rounds — 18-79 — and S.J. Res. 113 regarding 120mm high-explosive mortar rounds — 19-78.^[1][2][3]
• The last of the three resolutions, all of which were sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in September, was S.J. Res 115 regarding the sale of kits to turn 'dumb' bombs into precision-guided weapons. That was rejected 17-80.^[1][4][5]
• All senators who voted in favor of at least one resolution caucused with Democrats, including Sanders and Angus King (I-Maine). Vice Pres.-elect J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) didn't vote, and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) voted 'present.'^[6][7]
• This comes as Sanders has filed six resolutions of disapproval to stop a total of $20B worth of weapons sales to Israel, with the three voted on this week covering about $1.1B. No such resolution has ever both passed Congress and survived a presidential veto.^[8][9][10]
• Sanders claimed that arms transfers to Israel enable civilian harm in Gaza and violate human rights, meaning that the US would be in violation of the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Control Act.^[5][10]
• Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Ben Cardin (D-Md.) as well as Republicans such as Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) warned that the resolutions would weaken Israel against Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas.^[6][1]

Sources: ^[1]The Hill, ^[2]Senate (a), ^[3]Senate (b), ^[4]Senate (c), ^[5]AL, ^[6]New York Post, ^[7]Al Jazeera, ^[8]Timesofisrael, ^[9]Reuters and ^[10]Daily Sabah.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Nationalreview and ISRAEL HAYOM. This attempt to withhold critical armaments from Israel endangers both Israeli and US security by weakening Israel’s defense against Iran-backed terror groups. This move would undermine a key ally, embolden adversaries, and risk destabilizing the region, threatening American influence and Middle Eastern stability. Thankfully, an overwhelming bipartisan group stood up in defense of their country and friends in Israel.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Chronicles and Intercept. Both liberals and conservatives are growing weary of Washington's unconditional support for Israel, but the establishment Republicans and Democrats insist on keeping Americans in the middle of these conflicts. As a nuclear regional power, Israel doesn’t need endless support, and halting aid would promote US neutrality, reduce entanglements, and foster independent strategies for both nations.

Predictions