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White House Lobbies for Bernie Sanders’ Israel Resolution

Posted on by Bobb
White House Lobbies for Bernie Sanders’ Israel Resolution

The White House and administration officials are lobbying senators to vote against the resolutions. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also privately pressured senators to ensure Israel continued to receive military equipment, according to an aide familiar with the situation.

“We strongly oppose this resolution and have made our position clear to the senators concerned,” a National Security Council spokesman said.

Two resolutions co-sponsored by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Peter Welch (D-VT) block the sale of 120mm mortar rounds and joint direct kill munitions. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) sponsored a third initiative that would block the sale of tank ammunition.

The three resolutions are likely to fail but are a demonstration of the strength of the left flank of the Democratic Party because divisions regarding US support for Israel’s counter-offensive over the past 13 months.

On Tuesday, the White House also sent a memo to Democratic Senate offices on Capitol Hill, emphasizing that lawmakers voting for the resolution were “putting wind in the sails of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.” reporting from Huffpost.

“Now is the time to focus pressure on Hamas to release the hostages and stop the war,” the document says. “Denying weapons to Israel will make this goal even more unattainable and will prolong the war rather than shorten it.”

Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said he believed it was time to bring the resolutions to the floor, citing what he called Israel’s violation of international law to adequately provide aid in the war against Hamas.

In October, the Biden administration called on Israel improve the flow of aid to Gaza within 30 days or risk withholding military aid. After this time the United States came to the conclusion that Israel is making progress and is not impeding aid.

Sanders and other Democratic senators have expressed concern about the growing number of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip. The war has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is run by Hamas and does not differentiate between militants and civilians.

“Obviously, what is happening in Gaza today is unspeakable, but what makes it even more painful is that much of what is happening there was done with American weapons and with the support of American taxpayers,” Sanders said at the press conference. conference on Tuesday.

Other Senate Democrats strongly oppose the resolutions. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, affirmed that Israel’s support for Israel “does not diminish our commitment to humanitarian assistance to innocent Palestinians or our shared commitment to peace.”

“As we address the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and advocate for peace, we must also uphold our country’s long-standing bipartisan commitment to Israel,” Cardin wrote. “We must make clear that the United States stands with Israel against these common threats and ensure that it has the resources to defend itself.”

Senate Republicans are united and are preparing to reject these resolutions in an attempt to send a strong message to Israel’s opponents.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“While Israel is under attack on all fronts, it should not be under attack in the halls of Congress,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said in a statement. “After four years of Biden in the White House, we must stand with our greatest ally in the Middle East. After all, Israel’s enemies are our enemies, and the hands of Iran and its proxies are stained with American blood.

“Instead of blocking critical weapons while Israel fights for its existence, we should give it the tools it needs to destroy Iran-backed Hamas and send a clear message back to Tehran,” she added.