The US Senate rejected a pair of resolutions introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders aimed at blocking over $675 million in arms sales to Israel, and while a majority of Democrats voted against the weapons transfers for the first time, Sen. Cory Booker agreed to send weapons to Israel by voting no, in line with all Republicans.
Booker was not among the 27 Democrats who voted to block the sale of tens of thousands of assault rifles, or the 24 Democrats who voted to stop the sale of 5,000 heavy bombs and guidance kits to Israel.
A Jewish independent who twice sought the Democratic nomination for president, Sanders has brought similar resolutions to the Senate floor throughout the Gaza war.
In a statement celebrating the shift within the Democratic Party, Sanders said, “By a vote of 27-17, the members of the Senate Democratic caucus voted to stop sending arms shipments to a Netanyahu government which has waged a horrific, immoral, and illegal war against the Palestinian people.
“The tide is turning. The American people do not want to spend billions to starve children in Gaza,” said Sanders. “The Democrats are moving forward on this issue, and I look forward to Republican support in the near future.”
“Witnessing the catastrophic hunger and suffering of civilians, especially children, women, the sick and elderly, in Gaza has been heartbreaking,” said Booker, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who six days later issued a statement that claimed, “The suffering, starvation, and atrocities happening in Gaza are unacceptable.”
Booker also complained about the repeated lack of accountability in the deaths of American citizens killed in the West Bank since January 2022, including Saifullah Kamel Musallet, Amer Mohammad Saada Rabee, Shireen Abu Akleh, Omar Assad, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour, and Aysenur Ezgi Eygi.
“Unfortunately, the catastrophic hunger among Gaza’s starving children and the slaughter of American citizens killed in Israel have not been sufficient to convince Senator Cory Booker to deprive monstrous war criminal Benjamin Netahayu of another $675 million worth of lethal weapons,” said anti-establishment progressive Democrat Lisa McCormick.
McCormick noted that the prime minister is being prosecuted in Israel for corruption allegations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, and he is wanted by the International Criminal Court, which on November 21, 2024, issued arrest warrants following an investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The International Criminal Court also issued arrest warrants for Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, the highest commander of the military wing of Hamas, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“The crimes attributed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are serious and credible. After causing horrific and indelible consequences for the civilian population of Gaza, there must be no impunity for criminals who violate the most fundamental tenet of international humanitarian law – the protection of civilians,” said McCormick.
“There are a lot of similarities between Bibi Netanyahu and Donald Trump, and most of the world can see it,” said Marianne Williamson. “It’s rare in advanced democracies that a genuinely cruel, sociopathic person accumulates the kind of power these two have garnered in their respective countries, but it happened.”
“Whatever happens tonight, history will condemn those of us who failed to act in the face of these horrors,” said Sanders before the vote. According to Citizens Against AIPAC Corruption, Booked has accepted at least $871,563 from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and affiliated organizations that advocate for unconditional US support for Israel.