Senate votes down Sanders legislation scrutinizing Israel military aid

WASHINGTON ― The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted down legislation that would have leveraged U.S. military aid to Israel in a bid to compel the Biden administration to assess whether Israel committed human rights violations during its three-month-long Gaza offensive.

Senators voted 72-11 against the resolution after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., forced a floor vote by invoking a previously unused provision in the Foreign Assistance Act. Had the Senate passed the resolution, it would have required the State Department to report to Congress within a month on allegations of Israeli human rights violations. Failure to submit the report would have frozen Israel’s annual $3.8 billion in U.S. military aid.

“This aggressive military campaign has led to massive destruction and widespread civilian harm,” Sanders said on the Senate floor last week. “There is extensive evidence showing that it has been, far and away, the most intensive bombing campaign of the 21st century.”