On Tuesday night, the Senate voted on Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) resolution to examine aid to Israel based on a report that the State Department would send to Congress regarding our ally's human rights record. As Axios fittingly put it in their headline, "Senate soundly rejects push to scrutinize Israel aid," with just 11 Senators--10 of them being Democrats--voting to support the resolution. While 17 Republican senators were not voting due to the winter weather storm, it was still a pitiful showing for Sanders. Seventy-two fellow senators voted in favor of tabling the motion, effectively killing it.
The resolution begins by expressing support for condemning Hamas' attack on Israel from October 7, while also reaffirming Israel's right to defend itself. Considerable attention is spent on lamenting Israel's response, though, and involves the United States in that scrutiny, with the resolution at one point noting that munitions used "are manufactured in the United States and supplied to Israel by the United States[.]"
Sanders' resolution looked to request a report from the State Department no later than 30 days after the resolution's adoption involving "all available credible information concerning alleged violations of internationally recognized human rights by the Government of Israel," such as "the denial of the right to life," as well as "a description of the steps that the United States Government has taken" in the conflict to protect human rights.
If the State Department failed to produce a report, aid to Israel would be halted.
In a post to his X account about the resolution, Sanders claimed it "should not be controversial," with a response to those who might oppose it that "If you believe Israel has done nothing wrong, then this information should support that belief."
We should all want this information. If you believe the war has been indiscriminate, as I do, then we must ask this question. If you believe Israel has done nothing wrong, then this information should support that belief.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 16, 2024
As the Axios report noted, "Sanders used a rarely invoked provision in the Foreign Assistance Act allowing him to force a vote on a resolution directing the State Department to send a report to Congress on Israel's human rights record."
Those senators supporting such a resolution included Sanders himself, Republican Sen. Rand Paul (KY), and Democratic Sens. Laphonza Butler (CA), Martin Heinrich (NM), Mazie Hirono (HI), Ben Ray Lujan (NM), Ed Markey (MA), Jeff Merkley (OR), Chris Van Hollen (MD), Elizabeth Warren (MA), and Peter Welch (VT).
The resolution was also supported by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has accused the Biden administration of being complicit in war crimes over the handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict, has had leaders who are linked to Hamas, and has celebrated the October 7 attacks, all while maintaining prominence among Democrats. The group called the resolution's failure a "cowardly dereliction of duty."
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) was not present to vote, but he nevertheless released a statement condemning the resolution. While his statement expressed concern for those on the ground in Gaza, but explicitly acknowledged that the fault is with Hamas.
"Hamas began this conflict with a horrifying terrorist attack on October 7 and continues to hold hostages, but that does not mean we can ignore the tragic suffering of Palestinian civilians. The Israeli military should be shifting to a more targeted campaign against Hamas in Gaza and doing more to protect civilians, as the Israeli government has pledged to do," the statement read in part.
"I will continue raising these issues directly with Israeli officials and the Biden administration. I do not, however, believe that risking the suspension of all U.S. assistance or publicly rebuking Israel in a way that could embolden its enemies will address these concerns, nor will it improve the humanitarian situation," it also read.
The statement also noted that Coons is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The committee's chairman, Ben Cardin (D-MD) voted to table the motion.
POLITICO's coverage highlighted remarks from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) who said it would "empower the terrorist" as he called it "maybe the most tone deaf thing in the history of the Senate." Graham also pointed out that "a ceasefire with Hamas only allows Hamas to regroup."
Sanders' name has come up before when Democrats were discussing the conditioning of aid to Israel, though even he has acknowledged the folly of calling for a permanent ceasefire, something many progressive Democrats have called for. Sanders has also joined his Democratic colleagues in rejecting aid to Israel in previous months.
The senator recently spoke to CNN on Sunday, where the subject of Sanders' resolution came up on "State of the Union."
The segment played a quote from NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby who shared "we do not believe that this resolution is the right vehicle to address these issues. And we don't think now is the right time. The Israelis have indicated they are preparing to transition their operations to a much lower intensity. And we believe that transition will be helpful both in terms of reducing civilian casualties, as well as increasing humanitarian assistance."
"Jake, we have got to, as Americans, take a very deep breath. What is going on in Gaza right now is a horrendous humanitarian catastrophe," Sanders said in response to host Jake Tapper, making clear "I strongly disagree."
Sanders also explained that "my view has been from the beginning, Israel has a right to respond to this horrific terrorist attack from Hamas, but you do not have a right to go to war against an entire people, women and children," noting "the United States Congress has got to act, because a lot of this destruction is being done with military weapons supplied by the United States of America."
Sanders also acknowledged he did not think he'd be able to get the votes needed.
“We cannot turn our backs.”@BernieSanders tells @jaketapper that there is a “horrific humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza and “a lot of this destruction is being done with military weapons supplied by the United States of America.” pic.twitter.com/ilkFZ1XqGt
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) January 14, 2024
The Guardian also had an interesting interview with Sanders, which included discussing his views on Israel and his Jewish faith:
[Sanders] has also grown increasingly disapproving of Biden’s staunch support for the Israeli war effort, condemning what he calls US complicity in “destroying the lives of innocent men, women and children in Gaza”. He is trying to block billions of dollars of extra US military aid to Israel, and is demanding a Senate investigation into how US arms are used in Gaza.
I ask him whether he feels a special distress watching a country he has always supported as a post-Holocaust shelter for Jews inflict such indiscriminate bombing on others. “The answer is yes. If there are any people that have suffered, it’s Jewish people. And they should not be imposing that type of suffering on Palestinian children – killing children is not the solution.”
Democrats have been in disarray over supporting Israel, with Squad members in the House. While the tabling of such a resolution might be a win for our ally in the Middle East, and shows how there is still bipartisan support for Israel, concerns still remain regarding the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, and the Independents like Sanders who caucus with them.
President Joe Biden has been trying to court Muslim-American and Arab-American voters who are abandoning him for what support he and his administration have shown Israel, but they're not making it easy for him, as Matt has covered.