Sanders pushes new resolutions to halt US arms sales to Israel

US senator Bernie Sanders is set to file four new measures — known as Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) — that would block the sale of $8.56 billion in arms to Israel, his office announced on Monday. 

This follows the Trump administration’s formal notification to Congress earlier this month approving the sale of munitions and guidance kits to Israel. 

In his statement, Sanders said such major transfer of US weaponry to Israel “would clearly violate the criteria laid out in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act (AECA)”.

The Foreign Assistance Act, which governs US foreign aid policy, establishes the political and ideological framework for aid distribution, emphasising objectives such as promoting world peace and global welfare. 

Meanwhile, the AECA mandates that any nation receiving US weapons must certify their use for internal security and legitimate self defence, ensuring they do not contribute to escalating conflicts. 

While Sanders stated that he believed Israel’s right to “self defence” following the 7 October 2023 attacks, which killed approximately 1,200 people and led to 240 being taken captive, he emphasised that “Netanyahu’s extremist government has instead waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people, killing more than 48,000 and injuring over 111,000 – the vast majority of whom are women and children”.

He continued: “Tragically, much of this carnage has been carried out with American bombs and weapons.”  

The Vermont lawmaker warned that Netanyahu used US arms exports to cause damages or major destruction to almost 70 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure, adding that such had been “in clear violation of US and international law”.

He said: “With Trump and Netanyahu openly talking about forcibly displacing millions of Palestinians from Gaza- in other words, ethnic cleansing – it would be unconscionable to provide more of the bombs and weapons Israel has used to kill so many civilians and make life unlivable in Gaza.”

According to Al-Monitor, the US State Department previously notified Congress’ armed services and foreign relations committees about $6.75 billion in military sales, including GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs, MK-82 500-pound bomb bodies, and various JDAM guidance kits. 

The arms sales have garnered criticism over the use of bombs, missiles and artillery shells that may have contributed to the grave destruction of huge swathes of Gaza and southern Lebanon and leading to tens of thousands of civilian deaths. 

Additionally, The Washington Post first reported that the Trump administration rescinded National Security Memorandum-20, a Biden-era order requiring Israel to report potential violations of international law involving US-supplied weapons.  

The memorandum, pushed by progressive Democrats advocating for restrictions on military aid to Israel, mandated that the US government submit reports to Congress on how American arms were used by its allies. 

In September last year, Sanders announced that he introduced legislation to block $20 million in US arms shipments to Israel. 

He also voiced frustration over the former Biden administration’s support for Israel’s assault on Gaza, which began in October 2023 and has since killed nearly 48,350 people, the majority of whom were civilians. 

The current Trump administration appeared to boost its support for Israel, despite growing concerns over the use of tens of thousands of bombs, missiles, and artillery shells sent to the country.

This support also included a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the first foreign leader to visit Washington since the start of Trump’s second term, despite the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu on charges of alleged war crimes in Gaza.  

The US rejected the legitimacy of the ICC’s warrants, with Trump imposing economic sanctions on the UN court, a move that sparked condemnation from dozens of countries, including a majority of ICC member states.