Muhammad Amin
The US Senate may have rejected “by an overwhelming majority” three resolutions to restrict US arms sales to Israel, but it also showcased a growing schism among Democrats over the Israel’s genocide and the depraved tilt of it right-wing government.
Forward, a “Jewish, independent, nonprofit”, notes Thursday that Wednesday’s proposal was supported by 17 Democratic senators – or a third of the Blue caucus – “backing what was once a fringe position in Congress”.
Even Sen Jon Ossoff of Georgia, who is Jewish, voted in favor of two resolutions, Forward notes.
Proposed by independent Jewish Senator Bernie Sanders, the bill was only aimed at preventing offensive weapons from being used against civilians in Gaza and Lebanon. “They would not affect any of the systems Israel uses to defend itself from incoming attacks,” he said.
“A few years ago, this level of support for even modest restrictions on arms sales to Israel would have been unthinkable. Wednesday’s vote, supported by some liberal Jewish organizations, signaled that there is growing concern about the policies of the Israeli government and highlighted a willingness among Democrats to challenge the historically bipartisan consensus on unconditional support for Israel amid the war in Gaza,” Forward reports.
“This shift also reflects increasing frustration with President Joe Biden. Progressive Democrats have criticized Biden for not doing enough to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and accused his administration of providing Netanyahu’s government with a ‘blank check’ despite growing concerns about human rights violations. Pro-Palestinian activists and leaders of the ceasefire movement have called in recent months for a full arms embargo.”
A pre-election poll showed that 62% of Jewish voters approve of the US withholding arms shipments to achieve an immediate ceasefire.
J Street, “the liberal pro-Israel, pro-peace lobby” (if such a thing can really exist), encouraged senators to support at least one of the resolutions as “a symbolic but deeply meaningful” vote “toward a relationship in which the US can hold Israel accountable-“, It also called on senators to enforce US laws banning weapons used in a genocide “for all other recipients of U.S. security assistance” (including Israel).
Forward thinks Biden is trying to perform “a delicate balancing act” (as if there’s anything delicate about supporting genocide up to your bloody shoulders) by continuing to enforce genocidal murder while reassuring his party they’re still “the good guys”.
His administration has avoided isolating Israel or conditioning US military aid in direct opposition to the US’s now-laughable “Leahy Laws” that outlaw US arms being sold into a genocide.
Predictably, Aipac, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and other Democratic-aligned pro-Israel groups hailed the rejection, bragging “its members made calls to members of Congress and sent more than 1.2 million emails in recent weeks in a campaign to reduce support for the effort”.
Biden actively lobbied senators against the resolutions, insisting arms restrictions would somehow “prolong the war, not shorten it”. Interesting, isn’t it? The logic is sending more arms into the genocide will hasten its end by killing everyone.
That wasn’t how twenty aides in his administration saw it. They’re pleading with Biden quite rightly to back away from his pro-Israel-to-hell-and-back course, warning “If the course is continued, it will be a legacy of horror.”
In a letter addressed directly to Biden, they say: “You are running out of time to do the right thing, but decisive action could save precious lives in the next two months.”
The Cradle reports: “Internal discontent in the US government has been brewing over the past year as Israel continues to use US weapons to kill Palestinian and Lebanese civilians with no regard for international law.”
Forward notes: “Biden’s stance marked a stark departure from the final months of the Obama administration, which in 2016 broke with tradition by supporting a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
On Wednesday, the US also vetoed a UN Security Council resolution for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, saying that it failed to require the release of hostages.
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