Washington, DC – The US Senate will vote later this week on payments to dam a $20bn arms cope with Israel, an effort advocates say will set a precedent in congressional efforts to halt weapons transfers to the US ally.
Senator Bernie Sanders – a progressive unbiased who caucuses with the Democrats – launched the measures, referred to as Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs), in September and introduced on November 13 that he’ll carry them to the Senate ground for a vote this week.
The hassle is unlikely to cross within the principally pro-Israel chamber, but it surely has been garnering assist from rights teams and a rising variety of Democratic lawmakers.
Hassan El-Tayyab, an advocacy organiser on the Associates Committee on Nationwide Laws, a Quaker social justice group, described the upcoming vote as “historic”.
He mentioned the resolutions ship a message to President Joe Biden, his successor-in-waiting Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the “status quo is unacceptable”.
“Just the fact that this is happening is already sending that political signal that it’s not business as usual,” El-Tayyab advised Al Jazeera.
He added that congressional stress might alter the behaviour of the US administration and its Israeli allies.
The letter
The anticipated vote will come about two weeks after the Biden administration mentioned it had not made an evaluation that Israel is obstructing humanitarian assist to Gaza – a conclusion that contradicted the findings of humanitarian teams.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin had despatched a letter to Israeli leaders on October 13, threatening “consequences” beneath US legislation if Israel didn’t take particular steps to enhance the humanitarian scenario in Gaza inside 30 days.
US legislation bans navy help to nations that block Washington-backed humanitarian assist.
Persevering with US navy assist to Israel after the Blinken-Austin deadline – regardless of warnings by United Nations consultants that famine was already spreading throughout Gaza – highlighted Biden’s uncompromising assist for Israel.
El-Tayyab mentioned the administration’s “cynical” choice makes Congress’s oversight function and Sanders’s decision all of the extra necessary.
“Congress isn’t a passive bystander. It’s a co-equal branch of government that shares responsibility for what’s happening in Gaza,” he mentioned.
In an announcement asserting that he intends to pressure a vote on the decision, Sanders mentioned there was “no longer any doubt” that Israel is violating worldwide and US legislation.
“As horrific as the last year has been, the current situation is even worse. Today, Israel continues to restrict the flow of food and medicine to desperate people,” the senator mentioned.
“Tens of thousands of Palestinians face malnutrition and starvation. The volume of aid reaching Gazans is lower than at any time in the last year.”
What are JRDs?
Beneath US legislation, the chief department can authorise weapons gross sales to overseas nations, however Congress has de facto veto energy over the difficulty.
Lawmakers can introduce a measure to dam a given sale – a JRD – beneath the Arms Export Management Act. For the decision to turn into legislation, it must cross within the Senate and the Home of Representatives and be signed by the president.
Since a JRD is nearly by nature in opposition to White Home coverage, presidents are more likely to block the proposed laws, however Congress can override the presidential veto with a two-thirds majority in each chambers.
Sanders has launched a number of resolutions that might block the sale by the US of tank and mortar rounds, direct assault munitions (JDAMs), F-15 fighter jets and different weapons.
Among the JRDs blocking munition gross sales to Israel are backed by Democratic Senators Peter Welch, Jeff Merkley and Brian Schatz.
Senator Elizabeth Warren additionally voiced assist for the trouble, invoking the Biden administration’s failure to carry Israel accountable for blocking humanitarian assist to Gaza after the Blinken-Austin letter.
“The failure by the Biden administration to follow US law and to suspend arms shipments is a grave mistake that undermines American credibility worldwide,” Warren mentioned in an announcement final week.
“If this administration will not act, Congress must step up to enforce US law and hold the Netanyahu government accountable through a Joint Resolution of Disapproval.”
Whereas Congress has voted beforehand on amendments about conditioning assist to Israel, a Senate vote on a JRD in regards to the US ally could be the primary of its sort.
Assist for effort
Greater than 110 advocacy organisations, together with Amnesty Worldwide USA, the Arab American Institute and Human Rights Watch, have issued a joint assertion endorsing the JRDs.
“The joint resolutions of disapproval would suspend particular transfers of types of weapons that the Israeli government has used in strikes that have killed thousands of civilians, including aid workers and journalists, in Gaza over the last year,” the teams mentioned within the assertion.
Israel’s US-backed battle on Gaza has killed greater than 43,800 Palestinians and introduced the territory to the verge of hunger. The intensifying Israeli offensive in Lebanon has additionally destroyed giant components of the nation and killed greater than 3,480 individuals.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) mentioned Israel “should not receive one dollar more in US support” due to its abuses.
“The Biden Administration has lost all credibility when it comes to its complicity and participation in Israel’s genocide, going so far as to completely ignore US law,” the group mentioned in an announcement.
“It is long past time for Congress to step in and do what President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and Secretary Austin will not – enforce US law and say no more weapons for Israeli genocide.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) echoed that assertion.
“With undeniable proof of Israel’s war crimes and the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid, our government continues to sell billions in offensive weapons to Israel,” CAIR’s authorities affairs director, Robert McCaw, mentioned in an announcement.
“This unconscionable support for genocide perpetuates violence and suffering. With the Senate vote next week, we have a critical opportunity to stop these arms sales.”
Professional-Israel response
Sanders’s push could also be a long-shot effort, however pro-Israel teams have seen it and are lobbying towards the resolutions.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) urged its supporters to contact their senators to reject the resolutions.
“Weakening Israel’s security as it’s engaged in a seven-front war against common enemies is dangerous for America and the Jewish state,” the group advised supporters in an e-mail.
The Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), a pro-Israel advocacy group centered on Democratic officers, issued an identical message.
“Senator Bernie Sanders and others plan to put forward legislation to block military aid to Israel next week, even as Israel is under attack, and the Biden Administration confirmed that Israel is adhering to the standards set by the United States for humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the DMFI mentioned.
“We must do everything we can to stop him.”
El-Tayyab dismissed such criticism, underscoring that the legislative push solely goals to dam offensive weapons to Israel.
“There is no military solution to the conflict in Gaza – only a diplomatic one that addresses root causes of violence,” he advised Al Jazeera.
“Instead of sending more weapons, Congress and the administration should leverage military aid with Bibi [Netanyahu] and the Knesset to finally get them to accept a ceasefire deal in Gaza and Lebanon. And that, I think, is a far better strategy to secure Israel’s defence and protect Palestinian human rights.”
