Democrats Simply Won’t Stop Attacking Israel

Responding To Angry Demands From Far-Left Activists, Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders Is Offering A Resolution To Freeze American Aid To Israel

“Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and progressive allies filed ‘resolutions of disapproval’ to protest $20 billion in U.S. arms sales to Israel, teeing up a Wednesday vote in the Senate.” (“Senate To Vote On Democratic Effort To Block US Arms To Israel,” Washington Examiner, 11/19/2024)

“When Hamas unleashed a bloody attack against Israel in October, there was a swift and strong bipartisan clamor of support in Congress for the United States to spare no expense in backing a robust military response by the Jewish state. One hundred days later, that consensus on Capitol Hill shows signs of fraying, as left-wing Democrats … press to limit aid to Israel or impose strict conditions on it.” (“Senate To Vote On Potential Freeze To Israel Aid As Democrats Question Conduct Of War,” The New York Times, 11/16/2024)

·       “It will reach a peak on [Wednesday], when the Senate votes on a resolution that would freeze all U.S. security aid to Israel unless the State Department produces a report within 30 days examining whether the country committed human rights violations in its conduct of the war.” (“Senate To Vote On Potential Freeze To Israel Aid As Democrats Question Conduct Of War,” The New York Times, 11/16/2024)

“The issue has divided Democratic lawmakers, with some echoing the calls by many nations for a cease-fire while others support continued military action. Some recent polls suggest that the issue divides Democratic voters, as well. Most Republicans, however, have stood staunchly in their support for Israel.” (“Bernie Sanders To Force Vote On Israel’s Human Rights Practices In Gaza,” The Washington Post, 1/16/2024)

Sanders Is Lobbing Morally Backward Accusations In His Call For An Arms Embargo

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): “I have introduced, with colleagues, several joint resolutions of disapproval that would block offensive arms sales to Israel. The votes will take place in the Senate on Wednesday…. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist government has not simply waged war against Hamas. It has also waged all-out war against the Palestinian people.” (Sen. Sanders, Op-Ed, "No more arms sales to Netanyahu,” The Washington Post, 11/18/2024)

·       SANDERS: “All of this is unspeakable and immoral. But what makes it even more painful is that much of this death and destruction has been carried out with U.S. weaponry and paid for by American taxpayers. During the last year alone, the United States has provided $18 billion in military aid to Israel and delivered more than 50,000 tons of armaments and military equipment. In other words, as Americans, we are complicit in these horrific and illegal atrocities. Our complicity must end.” (Sen. Sanders, Op-Ed, "No more arms sales to Netanyahu,” The Washington Post, 11/18/2024)

Sanders Has Been Trying To Cut Off Military Aid To Israel For Almost The Entire Year Since Hamas Launched Its Murderous Assault Last October

DECEMBER 2023: “Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is pressing President Biden to withhold $10.1 billion in military aid to Israel that would support the Israeli military’s invasion of Gaza, arguing that the Netanyahu government’s military offensive ‘is being conducted in a deeply immoral way.’ In a Dec. 12 letter to Biden, Sanders argues that Israel’s military response in Gaza has turned into ‘a mass atrocity’ and that ‘it would be irresponsible to provide an additional $10.1 billion in military aid beyond’ the ‘defensive systems’ that will protect Israeli civilians from incoming missile and rocket attacks.” (“Sanders Presses Biden To Deny Israel $10.1 Billion In Military Aid,” The Hill, 12/13/2023)

JANUARY 2024: “Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called on Congress on Tuesday to hold back more than $10 billion in military funding for Israel, warning it would be used to fund the Israeli government’s ‘grossly disproportionate’ and ‘immoral’ war in Gaza.” (“Sanders Calls For End Of US Funding For Netanyahu’s ‘Immoral’ War,” The Hill, 1/02/2024)

·       SANDERS PRESS RELEASE: ‘Senator Bernie Sanders Calls For NO MORE U.S. Funding For Netanyahu’s Illegal And Immoral War Against The Palestinian People’ (Sen. Sanders, Press Release, 1/02/2024)

·       SANDERS: “Congress is working to pass a supplemental funding bill that includes $10 billion of unconditional military aid for the right-wing Netanyahu government to continue its brutal war against the Palestinian people. Enough is enough. Congress must reject that funding. The taxpayers of the United States must no longer be complicit in destroying the lives of innocent men, women, and children in Gaza.” (Sen. Sanders, Press Release, 1/02/2024)

MARCH 2024: “Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) again demanded the White House cease sending unconditioned military aid to Israel, calling the war in Gaza an ‘unprecedented crisis.’” (“Sanders: ‘No More Money To Netanyahu’s War Machine,’” Politico, 3/10/2024)

APRIL 2024: SANDERS: “So to my mind, the most important thing the United States government can do is say to Mr. Netanyahu, you know what? You cannot continue this disastrous, horrific war…. I think our policy has got to be very clear. Not another nickel for Netanyahu's right-wing, extremist government while hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza face starvation -- period.” (CNN’s “The Amanpour Hour,” 4/13/2024)

JUNE 2024: SANDERS: “[T]he Israeli government did not and does not have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people. Yet that is exactly what has happened…. It is absurd that Netanyahu has been invited to address Congress…. Instead, the United States should be withholding all offensive military aid to Israel and using our leverage to demand an end to this war …” (Sen. Sanders, Press Release, 6/18/2024)

JULY 2024: SANDERS: “I agree with both the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United Nations independent commission that both Benjamin Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar are war criminals…. No. Netanyahu should not be welcomed into the United States Congress…. In my view, his right-wing, extremist government should not receive another nickel of U.S. taxpayer support to continue the inhumane destruction of Gaza.” (Sen. Sanders, Press Release, 7/22/2024)

SEPTEMBER 2024: “Sen. Bernie Sanders is preparing several resolutions that would stop more than $20 billion in U.S. arms sales to Israel … In a letter to Senate colleagues on Wednesday, Sanders said the U.S. cannot be ‘complicit in this humanitarian disaster.’ The action would force an eventual vote to block the arms sales to Israel … ‘Much of this carnage in Gaza has been carried out with U.S.-provided military equipment,’ Sanders, I-Vt., wrote.” (“Bernie Sanders Preparing Resolutions To Block $20B In US Arms Sales To Israel,” The Associated Press, 9/18/2024)

A Whole Cadre Of Democrat Senators Is Standing With Sanders Hoping To Impose An Arms Embargo And Making Extreme Accusations Against The Democratically Elected Israeli Government

“[Sen. Peter] Welch [D-VT] and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) are cosponsoring some of the resolutions. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) have said they will also support them, and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said he will vote in favor of resolutions pertaining to offensive weapons.” (“Many Senate Democrats Decline To Preview Their Votes On Sanders’ Israel Resolutions,” Jewish Insider, 11/19/2024)

SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): “The Netanyahu government is...rejecting a host of other priorities advanced by the United States, yet President Biden has failed to hold Netanyahu accountable — ignoring U.S. law and undercutting his own stated policies as well as America’s interests and values.” (Andrew Desiderio, @AndrewDesiderio, Twitter, 11/18/2024)

·       VAN HOLLEN: “We’ve seen Prime Minister Netanyahu repeatedly violate the terms of American security assistance, disregard U.S. priorities, and ignore our requests, only to be rewarded by President Biden.” (Andrew Desiderio, @AndrewDesiderio, Twitter, 11/18/2024)

“Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Democrat from Massachusetts, indicated that she is in support of a Joint Resolution of Disapproval introduced by Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders last week, which seeks to block President Biden's latest arms sale to Israel.” (“Democratic Effort To Block Biden Weapons Sale To Israel Gains Momentum: 'Congress Must Step Up,'” Fox News, 11/18/2024)

·       SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): “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.” (“Elizabeth Warren Denounces Biden Administration Over Gaza Humanitarian Situation,” The Guardian, 11/14/2024)

SEN. JEFF MERKLEY (D-OR): “[W]e are, as a nation, providing the weapons that are being used in Gaza. Therefore, we are, as citizens, complicit in this strategy that is out of sync with our values, out of sync with our law, and out of sync with international law.” (“Progressive Senators Push To Block Offensive US Arms Sales To Israel,” The Jerusalem Post, 11/19/2024) 

“Mr. Welch said the blind eye that America has turned in the past year to Israel’s military conduct has led to ‘escalation in Lebanon, escalation even in Syria and the rising violence in the West Bank.’” (“Democrats Face a Series of Tests Over Support for Israel,” The New York Times, 11/19/2024)

Just Weeks Ago, Nearly 90 Democrats Demanded The Biden Administration Sanction Members Of Israel’s Government, ‘An Unprecedented Step’

“Democrats in the House and Senate are calling on President Biden to sanction two controversial Israeli ministers … In a letter sent late last month but released publicly on [November 14^th], 88 lawmakers called on Biden to issue sanctions against Israeis Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, far-right members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition.” (“Democrats Call For Biden To Sanction ‘Radical’ Israeli Government Ministers,” The Hill, 11/14/2024)

·       “The letter signed by 17 Democratic senators and 71 Democratic members of the House was initiated by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).” (“Nearly 90 Lawmakers Call On Biden To Sanction Israeli Ultranationalist Ministers,” Axios, 11/14/2024)

·       “U.S. sanctions against Israeli ministers would be an unprecedented step in the relationship between the two countries.” (“Nearly 90 Lawmakers Call On Biden To Sanction Israeli Ultranationalist Ministers,” Axios, 11/14/2024)

No Matter How Precisely Israel Fights Back Against Its Terrorist Enemies, Democrats In Congress Keep Making Unhinged, Outrageous Accusations Of ‘Ethnic Cleansing,’ ‘Genocide,’ Or ‘Injuring And Killing Innocent Civilians’

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): “Instead of securing the release of the hostages, however, Prime Minister Netanyahu has unleashed unthinkable violence on innocent civilians in Gaza.” (Sen. Warren, Press Release, 10/07/2024)

SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): “Here’s what I would say. And it’s interesting that Haaretz, which as you and I know, is an Israeli newspaper, their editorial came out saying what’s happening in Northern Gaza is ethnic cleansing. And it does seem pretty clear that that’s what’s going on …” (“Medhi Hasan Unfiltered,” 11/13/2024)

SEN. PETER WELCH (D-VT): “We don’t know all the people who were killed but we know [it was] a lot of innocent people including children, so that’s not all that precise.” (Jewish Insider, 9/20/2024)

REP. RASHIDA TLAIB (D-MI): “While our families mourn the ongoing genocide in Gaza, they are now witnessing the Israeli government’s indiscriminate bombing of Lebanon…. After facing no red line in Gaza, in an attempt to remain in power, Netanyahu is now expanding his genocidal campaign to Lebanon … President Biden must implement an immediate arms embargo …” (Rep. Tlaib, Press Release, 9/25/2024)

·       “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress in a joint meeting [in July] to garner support for the war between Israel and Hamas, and a Democratic representative from Michigan sent a clear message during his speech. During the speech, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, held up a sign that read ‘war criminal’ on one side and ‘guilty of genocide’ on the other. Tlaib posted a photo of herself holding the sign …” (“Rep. Rashida Tlaib Holds ‘War Criminal’ Sign During Benjamin Netanyahu's Speech To Congress, CBS News, 7/25/2024)

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): “Israel’s pager attack in Lebanon detonated thousands of handheld devices across of a slew of public spaces, seriously injuring and killing innocent civilians. This attack clearly and unequivocally violates international humanitarian law and undermines US efforts to prevent a wider conflict.” (Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, @AOC, Twitter, 9/18/2024)

REP. ILHAN OMAR (D-MN): “We should not send another dime to fund the genocide. Netanyahu’s reckless disregard for civilian lives in the pager attack in Lebanon is yet another example of why we need to cut off military aid.” (Rep. Omar, @IlhanMN, Twitter, 9/18/2024)

Meanwhile, The Biden Administration Also Keeps Making Threats Against The Israeli Government, Even Issuing An Absurd Ultimatum Last Month

“The Biden administration intensified pressure on Israel this week to improve dire conditions for civilians in the Gaza Strip, as top officials warned they would resort to punitive measures, potentially including a suspension of military aid, if humanitarian aid flows are not increased within a month. In an Oct. 13 letter to senior Israeli officials, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanded urgent steps … The letter, which became public Tuesday, gives the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu one month to comply …” (“U.S. Warns Israel It May Withhold Arms Unless Gaza Aid Starts Flowing,” The Washington Post, 10/15/2024)

·       “While the letter from Austin and Blinken, addressed to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, does not explicitly reference a possible suspension of arms transfers, it represents an implicit warning that the United States could curtail or halt those shipments …” (“U.S. Warns Israel It May Withhold Arms Unless Gaza Aid Starts Flowing,” The Washington Post, 10/15/2024)

“The Biden administration is ratcheting up pressure on the Israeli government to meet a set of demands from the U.S. to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.” (“U.S. Ramps Up Pressure On Israel To Address Gaza Crisis Ahead Of Deadline,” Axios, 11/01/2024)

·       “Blinken raised the demands in the letter during his meetings in Israel last week, U.S. officials said. Since then, Blinken has convened several internal meeting to follow up on whether Israel is implementing the U.S. requests, the officials said. Austin also raised the U.S. demands in several recent phone calls with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, including on Thursday.” (“U.S. Ramps Up Pressure On Israel To Address Gaza Crisis Ahead Of Deadline,” Axios, 11/01/2024)