Senate Divides as Israel Arms Vote Intensifies \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Senator Bernie Sanders’ attempt to block arms sales to Israel failed in the Senate. Support among Democrats surged amid rising famine and devastation in Gaza. Lawmakers call for a shift in U.S. policy and expanded humanitarian aid.
Quick Looks
- Senate votes down Bernie Sanders’ attempt to halt U.S. arms sales to Israel
- Resolutions targeted $675M in bombs and 20,000 automatic rifles
- 27 Democrats supported blocking rifles; 24 supported blocking bombs
- Vote reflects growing Democratic unrest amid worsening Gaza famine
- United Nations warns Gaza faces worst-case famine conditions
- Trump administration urged Israel to increase aid deliveries
- Netanyahu government under pressure for humanitarian crisis in Gaza
- Republicans unanimously opposed Sanders’ resolutions, citing Hamas responsibility
- Prominent Democrats like Murray and Durbin shifted their votes
- Schumer called for aid surge, but still supported weapons transfer
Deep Look
In a deeply divided U.S. Senate, President Donald Trump’s foreign policy toward Israel faced mounting Democratic resistance on Wednesday, as lawmakers debated a pair of resolutions introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders aimed at blocking the sale of U.S. bombs and firearms to Israel amid the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Although the resolutions were ultimately rejected, the vote revealed a growing split within the Democratic Party and underscored rising public concern over U.S. complicity in Israel’s ongoing military campaign.
The proposed resolutions, formally known as joint resolutions of disapproval, sought to halt two major arms transfers: one involving $675 million worth of bombs, and another involving the shipment of 20,000 automatic assault rifles to Israeli forces. While the measures fell short of the required support to pass, the voting patterns marked a significant shift in Democratic sentiment—27 Democratic senators voted in favor of blocking the rifle sale, and 24 voted to block the bomb transfer.
This marked a substantial increase from Sanders’ previous attempts, which, at most, garnered 18 Democratic votes in late 2024. Though the resolutions failed to reach the threshold to block the deals, the surge in support indicates that Gaza’s worsening humanitarian catastrophe is reshaping political calculations in Washington.
Senator Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, has been a consistent critic of U.S. military support for Israel’s war effort, especially under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline government. In remarks on the Senate floor, Sanders condemned the continuation of U.S. arms transfers, saying, “A significant majority of the American people are tired of spending billions and billions of dollars on an Israeli government which is currently starving children to death.”
Sanders’ criticism comes amid an unprecedented humanitarian collapse in Gaza. According to the United Nations’ food security agencies, the region is now experiencing a “worst-case scenario” famine. The situation has become so dire that children are dying from hunger, with humanitarian groups warning that the death toll could rise dramatically unless food and medical aid is drastically expanded.
The Trump administration, under increasing international pressure, has urged Israel to implement daily humanitarian pauses in its military operations to allow aid deliveries into Gaza. In response, Israel announced several limited humanitarian corridors and air-drops. However, according to U.N. officials and Palestinian humanitarian workers, these measures have done little to ease the suffering on the ground. Crowds continue to overwhelm aid trucks, and relief workers report that famine conditions persist across much of the Gaza Strip.
Despite the dire circumstances, all Senate Republicans voted against the resolutions, standing in firm support of Israel. Sen. Jim Risch, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, blamed Hamas for the crisis, saying the militant group uses civilians as human shields and diverts food aid. “It is in the interest of America and the world to see this terrorist group destroyed,” Risch said.
Yet the growing number of Democrats breaking ranks underscores how Gaza’s humanitarian collapse is straining bipartisan support for Israel. Some of the Senate’s most senior Democrats signaled a marked shift in tone and policy.
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a seasoned lawmaker who previously opposed Sanders’ resolutions, reversed her position and supported both measures. “As a longtime friend and supporter of Israel, I am voting yes to send a message: the Netanyahu government cannot continue with this strategy,” she said in a written statement.
Similarly, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Senate’s second-ranking Democrat, called his support for the resolution “painful but necessary.” “For many of us who have devoted our congressional careers to supporting Israel, standing by them through difficult times, it is impossible to really explain or defend what is going on today. Gaza is starving and dying because of the policies of Bibi Netanyahu,” Durbin said.
Other Democrats attempted to walk a finer line. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who voted against Sanders’ resolutions, nevertheless issued a rare public criticism of both President Trump’s handling of the crisis and Netanyahu’s policies. “The Trump administration and the Israeli government have a responsibility to urgently surge food and other aid into Gaza,” Schumer said. “Our commitment to Israel must not blind us to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before our eyes.”
Still, Schumer maintained that military assistance to Israel should continue, emphasizing that such support is for the Israeli people and not any single administration. His position reflects the delicate balancing act many Democrats now face: preserving a historically strong alliance with Israel while acknowledging the moral and political fallout from its war in Gaza.
The defeat of the resolutions does not mark the end of congressional pressure. Sanders and his allies have vowed to continue pushing for accountability and conditionality in U.S. arms transfers. Behind the scenes, discussions are intensifying over how to reform U.S. foreign military aid to ensure compliance with international humanitarian standards.
Moreover, progressive Democrats are now urging the Trump administration to radically shift its approach by launching a large-scale U.S.-led humanitarian mission to Gaza—potentially through trusted international aid agencies with longstanding experience in the region.
As the war in Gaza moves into its second year, the political landscape in Washington is beginning to change. While Republican support for Israel remains rock-solid, Democratic unease is steadily growing. What was once unshakable bipartisan support for Israeli military actions is now increasingly fractured, as lawmakers grapple with the moral implications of U.S. complicity in a devastating humanitarian crisis.
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