WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bernie Sanders is preparing several resolutions that would stop more than $20 billion in U.S. arms sales to Israel, a longshot effort but the most substantive pushback yet from Congress over the devastation in Gaza ahead of the first year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war.
In a letter to Senate colleagues on Wednesday, Sanders said the U.S. cannot be “complicit in this humanitarian disaster.” The action would force an eventual vote to block the arms sales to Israel, though majority passage is highly unlikely.
“Much of this carnage in Gaza has been carried out with U.S.-provided military equipment,” Sanders, I-Vt., wrote.
As the war grinds toward a second year, and with the outcome of President Joe Biden’s efforts to broker a cease-fire deal and hostage release uncertain, the resolutions from Sanders would seek to reign in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s assault on Gaza. The war has killed some 41,000 people in Gaza after the surprise Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel, and abducted 250 others, with militants still holding around 100 hostages.
While it’s doubtful the politically split Senate would pass the measures, the move is designed to send a message to the Netanyahu regime that its war effort is eroding the U.S.'s longtime bipartisan support for Israel. Sanders said he is working with other colleagues on the measures.
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Under the Senate rules, once Sanders introduces the resolutions next week, he can force a vote almost instantly for consideration. The measures are being proposed as a joint resolution of disapproval of the arms sales, which is a mechanism that allows congressional oversight of foreign affairs.
Sanders said he would have some backing for his proposal. But it is not expected to have support from a majority, 51 votes, in the Senate to pass.
In the House, blocking the Israeli arms sales would face even tougher odds, where Republicans hold the majority, and have largely sided with Netanyahu’s approach to the war with Hamas.
Bernie did a lot of good. A lot of people were radicalized by watching him lose, and from learning why we cant get M4A or any other universal program to benefit working people in thr US.
He played his part. I’ll always have an appropriate level of good feeling for him because of that. He should go away now, because he’s doing more harm than good. Everyone affiliated with that movement went on to become complete opportunists. AOC is just a party hack. Nina Turner was doing a podcast paid for by Goldman Sachs before the corpse of the campaign was even cold. TYT are on an anti-trans grift. Brianna Joy Gray went on a force the vote grift. They all need to be forgotten by anyone serious about socialism.
That is not a circular firing squad. That isn’t purity politics. That is not the “the perfect” being the enemy of the good(libs attribute the phrase to Obama and Chuds attribute it to Reagan- either way its bullshit). You can’t build a movement with opportunists. You can’t build socialism with peoole who are not socialists. And public figures who people think are “socialists” but aren’t damage any real movements potential
In that exact wording it was popularised by Voltaire, but he only quoted old proverb and similar phrases were known long before. And i very much doubt any of them by “good” meant genocide.
I’ve always assumed it was neither of them that coined it lol. Thanks for that. I’ve always found it fascinating that chuds and libs will both use it but ascribe it to their respective team’s champion