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SANDERS LEADS NEW SENATE EFFORT TO STOP FLOW OF US ARMS TO ISRAEL  
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Julia Conley
September 18, 2024
Common Dreams
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_ "There is extensive evidence that these systems are being used in
violation of U.S. and international law," said the senator. _

Senator Bernie Sanders, AP Photo/Miriam Zuhaib

 

Demanding that the Biden administration follow the lead of several
close U.S. allies in recent months, Sen. Bernie Sanders
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announced his intention to take action on the Senate floor to stop the
flow of American weapons to Israel.
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The Vermont independent said in a statement that he plans to file
Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRD) regarding the sale of offensive
weapons to the Middle Eastern country, which for nearly a year has
bombarded civilian infrastructure and blocked humanitarian aid
to Gaza [[link removed]], killing more than
41,000 Palestinians and pushing the enclave into famine
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The JRD is the only congressional mechanism that can prevent weapons
sales from moving forward, and after months of demanding
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administration end military support for Israel, Sanders said that
"Congress must act to save lives, uphold U.S. and international law,
and stand up for U.S. interests."

_HuffPost_ journalist Akbar Shahid Ahmed reported
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lawmakers, including Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Peter Welch
(D-Vt.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) are involved in the JRD effort,
"a key factor in how much support this can get" before a vote, which
would "most likely" take place in November.

After a Hamas-led attack last October, said Sanders on Wednesday,
Israel did not "have the right to wage an all-out war against the
Palestinian people, which is what Prime Minister Netanyahu's extremist
government has done."

"As a result of Israel's blocking of humanitarian aid into Gaza, many
thousands of children there face malnutrition and even starvation,"
said the senator. "Sadly, and illegally, much of the carnage in Gaza
has been carried out with U.S.-provided military equipment. Providing
more offensive weapons to continue this disastrous war would violate
U.S. and international law."

Sanders noted that continuing to export weapons to Israel—like the
$20 billion in arms sales that President Joe Biden approved in
August—would violate U.S. laws including the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), as U.S. weapons have
been directly linked to attacks by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on
Palestinian civilians.

As Amnesty International
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the IDF used U.S. bombs and other weapons in several attacks,
including four strikes in the southern Gaza city of Rafah that killed
at least 95 civilians, including 42 children last December and
January.

Sanders noted that other weapons included in the August arms sales
approval—Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), totaling $262
million; and 120mm tank rounds, totaling $774.1 million—were
"particularly concerning, given their indiscriminate use in Gaza."

The senator cited
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Israeli JDAM strike on October 31, 2023 in Jabalia, which killed at
least 126 civilians, including 69 children. He also pointed to the
120mm tank rounds used by the IDF in Gaza City on January 29, 2024 in
an attack that killed six-year-old Hind Rajab 
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paramedics.

"There is extensive evidence that these systems are being used in
violation of U.S. and international law," said Sanders, citing the
administration's own report pursuant to National Security Memorandum
20 (NSM-20), which stated that "it is reasonable to assess that
defense articles covered under NSM-20 have been used by Israeli
security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its
[international humanitarian law] obligations or with established best
practices for mitigating civilian harm."

"In light of this reality," said Sanders, "it is inappropriate to move
ahead with these sales."

The senator noted that U.S. allies including the United Kingdom
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Canada, and the Netherlands are among those that have restricted
weapons sales to Israel, with officials citing the risk that the
transfers could make their governments complicit in violations of
international law.

"The sales would reward Netanyahu's extremist government, even as it
continues to cause massive destruction in Gaza, undermine the
prospects of a cease-fire deal that would secure the release of the
hostages, and advance its effort to illegally annex the West Bank,"
said Sanders. "We must end our complicity in Israel's illegal and
indiscriminate military campaign, which has caused mass civilian death
and suffering."

James Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute, applauded
Sanders' plan to file the JRD, calling
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important step to block $20 billion in U.S. arms to Israel."

"Genocide in Gaza, annexation in the West Bank, and expansion of the
war in Lebanon will continue as long as Israel's impunity continues,"
said Zogby. "We must act now."

_Julia Conley is a staff writer for Common Dreams._

* Israel-Gaza War
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* Arms to Israel
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* Bernie Sanders
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* Genocide
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