Bernie Sanders To Force Vote To Block Arms Sales To Israel To Stop Gaza Starvation

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has announced that he will force a Senate vote to block arms sales to Israel to stop the starvation in Gaza.

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Sen. Bernie Sanders isn’t standing around while people starve in Gaza.

The office of Sen. Sanders announced:

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced his intention to immediately force votes to block offensive arms sales to Israel in light of the daily civilian massacres and unfolding famine created by the Netanyahu government’s policies.

Tomorrow, the Senate will vote on:

• S.J.Res.34 – To prohibit the U.S.-taxpayer financed $675.7 million sale of 201 MK 83 1,000-pound bombs; 4,799 BLU-110A/B General Purpose 1,000-pound bombs; 1,500 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits for MK 83 bombs; 3,500 JDAM guidance kits for MK 83 bombs; and related logistics and technical support services.

• S.J.Res.41 – To prohibit the sale of tens of thousands of fully automatic assault rifles.

With even Trump admitting that people are starving in Gaza and Netanyahu’s approval rating plummeting in the United States, it would appear that the time to act is now.

Sen. Sanders said:

U.S. taxpayers have spent tens of billions of dollars in support of the racist, extremist Netanyahu government. Enough is enough. We cannot continue to spend taxpayer money on a government which has killed some 60,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 143,000 — most of whom are women, children and the elderly. We cannot continue supporting a government which has blocked humanitarian aid, caused massive famine and literally starved the people of Gaza.

In the last two weeks, dozens of young children have died from starvation. Doctors say it will soon be too late to stop a wave of famine-related deaths in Gaza. Children’s bodies are eating themselves from within, their organs are shutting down. This is the direct result of Netanyahu’s policies.

Israel’s six-week blockade and subsequent replacement of the established United Nations distribution system with the untested Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has turned aid sites into civilian killing fields. In the last two months, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been shot while trying to get food aid, mostly at GHF sites. These near-daily massacres have seen Israeli soldiers repeatedly fire into unarmed crowds, testimony confirmed by American contractors.

The time is long overdue for Congress to use the leverage we have — tens of billions in arms and military aid — to demand that Israel end these atrocities.

It is not the American way to turn a blind eye to innocent people suffering and starving.

Trump is fond of putting artificial deadlines on countries around the world, but he hasn’t lifted a finger to stop Netanyahu.

If the president won’t do it, the Senate must. The Senate has the power to block arms deals to Israel. The US should not be a party to what is happening in Gaza.

Netanyahu ignores Trump and continues to do what he wants.

It is past time for the Senate to send a message that can’t be ignored.

What do you think about Sen. Sanders forcing a vote to block arms sales to Israel? Share your thoughts in the comments below.