US senator says Washington must end 'complicity' in Israeli 'atrocities' as chamber nears vote on blocking military aid

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - It is time for the US to end its "complicity" in Israel's "atrocities" in the besieged Gaza Strip, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders said Tuesday.

The remarks came as the Senate prepares to vote on measures that would block more than $20 billion in offensive arms sales to Israel.

Sanders urged his fellow lawmakers to support a trio of measures, known as resolutions of disapproval, that are slated to be voted on Wednesday. The US is "currently in violation of the law, and every member of the US Senate who believes in the rule of law should vote for these resolutions," he said.

He pointed in particular to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and Arms Export Control Act of 1976, which prohibit the delivery of arms to any country that violates internationally recognized human rights, or blocks US humanitarian assistance.

"Clearly, what is happening in Gaza today is unspeakable, but what makes it even more painful is that much of what is happening there has been done with US weapons and with American taxpayer support," Sanders told reporters on Capitol Hill.

"The United States of America is complicit in these atrocities. That complicity must end, and that is what these resolutions are about. It is time to tell the Netanyahu government that they cannot use US taxpayer dollars and American weapons in violation of US and international law and in violation of our moral values," he added.

The resolutions seek to block the sale of Joint Direct Attack Munitions worth $262 million, more than $800 million in 120mm tank and high explosive mortar rounds, over half a billion dollars of military tactical vehicles and up to 50 new F-15IA fighter jets and 25 upgrade kits worth $18.82 billion.

Just six of the Senate's 100 members have so far come out in support of the measures. Sanders declined to offer his views on if the measures would clear the chamber, saying instead, "What will happen, will happen."

The Biden administration on Oct. 13 issued a letter sent by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Israel, which gave it 30 days to take specific steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including allowing a minimum of 350 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily.

The deadline came and went with aid groups saying the situation in Gaza worsened during the course of the month, particularly in northern Gaza where Israeli forces have launched a sweeping campaign that has killed hundreds of civilians and cut off aid deliveries.

A coalition of eight aid groups said Israel "consistently failed" to facilitate aid, warning that "people are being starved in Gaza" because “Israeli military operations have denied them critical food aid and basic necessities, which has, in turn, caused conditions approaching famine for 800,000 Palestinian civilians across Gaza."

Sen. Chris Van Hollen said bluntly that the Biden administration "has failed to follow the law and failed to power follow its own policies that bind the administration" on the provision of military assistance.

"The facts are very clear on this point," he said alongside Sanders.

Referencing the letter sent by Austin and Blinken, he said, "You would think after a letter like this was sent, things would at least get a little better. They've gotten a lot worse. So, what's the point in sending a letter if you don't mean what you say."

Nearly 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its war on the besieged coastal enclave in retaliation for the Hamas-led cross-border Oct. 7, 2023 attack that killed an estimated 1,200 people. About 250 others were taken hostage in Gaza where more than 100 remain.

Israel's restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian assistance, which Gaza was highly reliant upon even before the war due to an Israeli blockade, has led to widespread and acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine.