The Biden administration is lobbying Democratic senators to vote against legislation being advanced by several of the party’s most progressive members that would block more than $20 billion in weapon shipments to Israel, two US officials told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.
The series of Joint Resolutions of Disapproval co-sponsored by Senators Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch, Jeff Merkley and Brian Schatz are slated to come to a vote on Wednesday and aim to block six weapon transfers to Israel, which include guided missiles, tank rounds, mortars, tactical vehicles and F-15 fighter jets.
While the votes are all but certain to fail, given the strong support for Israel in both parties — particularly the GOP, they are likely to mark a watershed moment in a more divided Democratic Party that is still working to understand the lessons of this month’s election, which saw Republicans win the White House and Senate while keeping their majority in the House.
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The Biden administration’s decision to engage on the matter demonstrates its desire for the Democratic Party to maintain a more pro-Israel posture post-election.
While moderates have argued that the party did too much to cater to its progressive wing, including by staking out adversarial positions toward Israel, lawmakers such as “Squad” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have charged that the party catered to special interest groups such as the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby and therefore lost support — a claim denounced by several… Read more
@SolidCentr1stRepublican2mos2MO
Progressives are naive if they think appeasing Hamas will work. Israel is the only stable democracy in the Middle East. The U.S. should stand firm and not bow to these ridiculous “humanitarian” demands.
@Koala1965Green2mos2MO
Stable democracy? Tell that to the families in Gaza who’ve lost everything. We can support Israel’s security without enabling unchecked military aggression. Biden’s refusal to take a harder line is shameful.
@SolidCentr1stRepublican2mos2MO
Israel’s fight is America’s fight. The Squad and their ilk are trying to destroy our alliance with a key partner. If they get their way, it’s a win for radical Islam and a loss for Western values.
@Renaldo-MoonGreen2mos2MO
Western values include genocide and ethnic cleansing?
@UniqueGrassrootsSocialist2mos2MO
Israel gets $20 billion while we can’t even fund basic infrastructure at home. The Democrats are as complicit as the GOP in this endless war economy. Sanders and company are a nice distraction, but this resolution was dead on arrival.
@GrizzlyOliviaProgressivism2mos2MO
Do we really think this is about “defense”? These arms deals are about keeping the military-industrial complex happy. Sanders and the progressives might as well be shouting into the void—both parties are in on the grift.
@L0bbyistMayaGreen2mos2MO
This is appalling. How can Biden claim to care about human rights while lobbying for more weapons to Israel? Progressives are right to push back—mounting civilian casualties in Gaza should be a red line for everyone.
$20 billion to fund guided missiles and fighter jets while Gaza burns? Classic U.S. foreign policy—pour gas on the fire and call it “defense.” And here I thought we were broke and couldn’t afford healthcare.
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