Washington, DC – The defenders of Palestinian rights greet the growing number of legislators in the United States showing the desire to restrict weapons in Israel on the atrocities of Gaza after a vote in the Senate on the issue.
The majority of the Democrats of the Senate voted late Wednesday in favor of a resolution to block a sale of weapons in Israel in what the defenders of rights welcomed as a major blow to bipartite support that Israel has traditionally enjoyed the congress.
The measure, presented by Senator Bernie Sanders, finally failed during a vote of 27-70, but a record number of legislators supported it compared to similar bills in the past.
“It was incredibly significant. We see a fundamental change in the Democratic Party on Israel, “said Yasmine Taeb, legislative and political director of the advocacy group Mower Change Action Fund.
All the Republican senators voted against the measure. But in the Democratic Caucus, the count was 27-17. The bill aimed to block the transfer of assault rifles to Israel.
Another bill that targeted bombs shipments also failed, during a vote of 24-73, with three senators who supported the first lack of bill.
The vote came in the midst of national and international anger in the face of Israeli atrocities in Gaza, where the main rights defending groups accused the Israeli army of having carried out a genocide against the Palestinians.
‘We just need to keep fighting’
Taeb said the defenders of Palestinian rights are progressing on the issue, noting that only 15 senators supported Sanders to block weapons in Israel in April.
“It’s frustrating, but we just need to continue fighting,” she told Tel Aviv Tribune.
“We must continue to do everything we can to put our leaders in the House and the Senate to stop funding these atrocities. We absolutely see a change, and these bills show this. So it shows that the pressure works. “
Israel, which receives billions of dollars every year in American military aid, is largely based on American weapons to carry out its wars on the Palestinians and neighboring countries.
For decades, supporting Israel on Capitol Hill seemed unshakable. But restricting the flow of American weapons regularly becomes a traditional proposal, especially among Democrats.
The Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) expressed its gratitude for senators who supported bills, qualifying the vote as a “historic sign of progress”.
“Although the Senate of the Senate last night had to be 100 to 0 in favor of these resolutions, the fact that a majority of Democrats in the Senate voted yes is a historic moment and a sign that feelings in the congress gradually catch up with the American people,” said Cair’s government director Robert McCaw.
Some key democrats have supported Sanders’ bill – far beyond the small group of progressive legislators who have supported Palestinian rights for years.
They understood Jeanne Shaheen, the best democrat of the foreign relations committee; Jack Reed, the best democrat of the Armed Services Committee; And Amy Klobuchar, a leading center.
‘Enough it is quite’
Senator Tammy Duckworth, who was a solid supporter of Israel for most of his career, also voted in favor of the measure.
“Enough, that’s enough,” Duckworth said in a statement.
She highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the famine imposed by Israeli killed more than 150 people.
“The unacceptable choice of Israel to restrict humanitarian and food aid by entering Gaza – for months – is now died of innocent civilians, including young children, to death,” said Duckworth.
“The end of this famine is not only a moral imperative, it is also in the best interest in the long -term national security of Israel and our own country.”
Four of the six new Democratic senators, elected last year, voted in favor of blocking weapons in Israel, highlighting the generational change on the issue. The other two first year senators were not present for the vote.
Opinion polls show that young Americans, especially Democrats, are increasingly opposed to the abuse of Israel against the Palestinians.
Only 9% of respondents under the age of 35 in a recent Gallup survey said they approved Israeli military action in Gaza and 6% said they had a favorable opinion on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Sanders said after Wednesday’s vote that the increased support for Democratic legislators for having restricted arms to Israel shows that “the tide turns”.
“The American people do not want to spend billions to die of hunger in Gaza,” the senator said in a statement.
“Democrats are advancing on this issue, and I look forward to republican support in the near future.”
Aipac answers
IFNOTNOW, a progressive Jewish group led by young people, also welcomed the vote as a “historic moment”.
“While the blockade of Israel forces practically all the Palestinians of Gaza on the edge of the famine, we must use each tool at our disposal to end the blockade and put pressure for an exchange of ceasefire and hostages,” said the group’s executive director, Morriah Kaplan, in a press release.
“It is shameful that a narrowed minority of the Democratic Caucus, 17 senators, is put on the side of the Republicans to continue the flow of fatal weapons to the Israeli army.”
Some senior democrats, including the best party senator, Chuck Schumer, voted against resolutions.
Taeb said Schumer’s vote shows that he is “simply disconnected from the vast majority of democratic voters and, incredibly, on his own caucus”.
She added that the Republicans will soon begin to pay an electoral price for their flawless support in Israel when the opinions of the Americans continue to turn against the American ally.
The American Committee for Public Affairs (AIPAC), which spent millions of dollars to help overcome the criticisms of Israel at the Congress, praised the defeat of Sanders bills, but it said that the vote “highlights the growing attempts to advance anti-Israeli policies in the Congress”.
“We know that our detractors work to take the battle of the prosecution of the Senate and the Chamber at the Urn next year, seeking to elect more candidates who wish to undermine the American-Israeli alliance,” the group told supporters.
“With the mid-term elections approaching quickly, we must make sure that we have political strength and resources to help our friends win and defeat our detractors.”
