Senate Rejects Bids To Block Arms Sales To Israel

Authored by Victoria Friedman via The Epoch Times,

The Senate voted on July 30 to reject two resolutions that would have blocked arms sales to Israel in response to concerns over civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip since Israeli forces began military action against the Hamas terror group.

Senators rejected two motions introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that would have stopped the export of over 5,000 bombs and guidance kits and 20,000 firearms. The resolutions failed by 73–24 and 70–27, respectively, in the 100-member chamber.

Sanders, who aligns with the Democrats, said on the evening of July 30 before the vote: “American taxpayer dollars are being used to starve children, bomb schools, kill civilians, and support the cruelty of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his criminal ministers. That, Mr. President, is why I have brought these two resolutions of disapproval to block offensive arms sales to Israel.”

Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), who voted against both motions, called the resolutions misguided, and said before the vote that if they were adopted, it would “reinstate the failed policies of the Biden administration, and would abandon America’s closest ally in the Middle East.”

Risch said that the situation in the Gaza Strip and the impact on its residents was the fault of Hamas, who he said “use the people of Gaza as human shields.”

“These are not good people, and it is in the interest of America and the world to see this terrorist group destroyed,” he said.

Israel began its military operations against Hamas after the terror group’s deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack, when Hamas militants killed about 1,200 civilians in Israel and kidnapped 251. According to the Israeli government website, 49 of those who were abducted that day are still being held in captivity. One additional hostage is still being held in Gaza, who has been held since 2014.

The Gaza Strip’s Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health reported that more than 60,000 people have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in these casualty figures, and The Epoch Times cannot verify their accuracy.

Throughout the conflict, Israel has said that it tries to avoid harming the civilian population and only targets Hamas terrorists.

Palestinian Statehood

In recent weeks, a number of Western nations have indicated they plan to recognize a Palestinian state.

On July 25, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would formally announce the decision to recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly in September, citing the need to end the Israel–Hamas war.

Macron called for an immediate cease-fire and the release of all hostages, as well as for Hamas to disarm.

“Finally, the State of Palestine must be built, its viability ensured, and, by accepting its demilitarization and fully recognizing Israel, it must contribute to the security of all in the Middle East,” he said.

Four days later, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the UK will recognize a Palestinian state by September, unless Israel agrees to a cease-fire and to improve humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip.

Starmer said such a state is “the inalienable right of the Palestinian people,” and that Palestinian statehood is essential for Israel’s long-term security.

The following day, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country would recognize Palestinian statehood at the U.N. in September if the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank, made reforms including holding an election in 2026 and refraining from militarization.

Carney said that Canada “will always steadfastly support Israel’s existence as an independent state in the Middle East, living in peace and security” and that “any path to lasting peace for Israel also requires a viable and stable Palestinian state.”

Some 146 U.N. member states already recognize a Palestinian state, according to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X on July 24 that such recognition would “reward terror” and risk the creation of what he described as “another Iranian proxy.”

“A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel—not to live in peace beside it,“ Netanyahu said. ”Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel.”