US Senator Bernie Sanders has called on the US government to listen to the American public and end military assistance to Israel, as congressional scrutiny of Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the occupied West Bank continues.
Sanders said in a post on X early Wednesday that he had previously sought a Senate vote on investigating alleged human-rights violations by Israel in Gaza. In January 2024, he forced a Senate vote on a resolution that would have required the State Department to provide information on possible human-rights violations committed during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
The latest development came after the Senate voted 47-51 on a resolution led by Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen that sought a State Department report on violence in the West Bank, including the deaths of US citizens and broader human-rights conditions. Sanders was among the senators supporting the measure. The resolution failed to advance after most Republicans opposed it.
The measure did not directly cut US aid to Israel. However, it included a provision under which failure to submit the required report could have triggered restrictions on assistance. Reuters reported that the vote reflected continuing divisions in Congress over US military support for Israel and allegations concerning the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank.
Sanders has repeatedly sought to use congressional authority to restrict or scrutinise US military support for Israel. In April, he led two Senate resolutions seeking to block roughly $450 million in weapons and bulldozer sales to Israel. Both measures failed, although 40 of the 47 Senate Democrats supported the resolution concerning bulldozers and 36 supported the measure concerning bombs.
The latest Senate debate comes amid continued scrutiny in Washington over Israel’s military operations in Gaza and rising violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Reuters reported that some US lawmakers have increasingly called for conditions on military assistance, while supporters of continued arms transfers argue that US military support remains important to Israel’s security.
