US Senate rejects Bernie Sanders’ attempt to condition military aid to Israel on human rights review
Resolution struck down by overwhelming majority of senators across party lines
The United States Senate voted on Tuesday night to shelve a bill proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), which would have made U.S. military aid to Israel conditional upon a State Department report listing Israel’s human rights violations.
According to the Jewish Democratic Council of America, which opposed the bill, “The resolution requires the State Department to issue a report on alleged Israeli human rights violations, and if it fails to do so within 30 days, all U.S. security assistance to Israel would be cut.”
A majority ( 72-11) of senators opposed the bill, which was struck down. All those who supported the bill, except Republican Rand Paul, were Democrats.
Sanders, a Jewish politician who initially stood up for Israel’s right to defend itself following the Oct. 7 invasion, has a history of voting against Israel on military aid legislation.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Sanders said he still supports Israel’s right to defend itself but says it cannot wage war on the Palestinian people.
“To my mind, Israel has the absolute right to defend itself from Hamas’s barbaric terrorist attack on October 7, no question about that,” Sanders said. “But what Israel does not have a right to do – using military assistance from the United States – does not have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people.”
Sanders said the U.S. has the legal obligation to ensure “aid is being used in accordance with human rights and our own laws.” His resolution referenced a decades-old law that requires military aid to be used under international human rights agreements.
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration opposed the bill. Biden recently requested an additional $14 billion in aid for Israel.
National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby said the administration was already working with Israel to reduce civilian deaths in Gaza and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.
“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,” he said.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
