US senator files new set of resolutions to block arms sales to Israel

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Sen. Bernie Sanders last week filed four Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) that would block the sale of $8.56 billion in offensive US weaponry to Israel, his office said Monday.

Although Israel has the right to defend itself against the Palestinian group Hamas, Sanders said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s "extremist government" has waged an "all-out war" against the entire Palestinian people.

“Tragically, much of this carnage has been carried out with American bombs and weapons," he said in the statement.

Netanyahu has used the US bombs to damage or destroy almost 70% of the structures in the Gaza Strip, Sanders said, adding all of this has been done in "clear violation" of US and international law.

"With (US President Donald) Trump and Netanyahu openly talking about forcibly displacing millions of Palestinians from Gaza – in other words, ethnic cleansing – it would be unconscionable to provide more of the bombs and weapons Israel has used to kill so many civilians and make life unlivable in Gaza," he added.

On Feb. 8, the US State Department gave Congress formal notification that it plans to move forward with sales of more than $8 billion in weapons to Israel.

The move came amid Netanyahu's visit to the US capital Washington, DC, where he met with Trump to discuss bilateral ties and the ongoing war in Gaza.

The US has long been criticized for providing support to Israel in its war in Gaza, where nearly 48,350 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023.

Several American lawmakers, including Sanders, frequently make calls for the US government to stop supplying weapons to Israel and being complicit in Israel's war in Gaza.