Washington: The U.S. Senate dismissed a resolution on Tuesday that would have frozen security aid to Israel unless the State Department produces a report within 30 days examining whether Israel committed human rights violations in its offensive against Hamas in Gaza.
Seventy-two senators voted to set the resolution aside, versus only 11 who supported it, smoothly gaining the simple majority needed to bury the resolution in the 100-member house..
The resolution was moved by Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats. While the resolution was successfully defeated, it showed rising concern among some of President Joe Biden’s fellow Democrats, specifically on the extremist leftist, socialist dictator over the supply of U.S. weapons to Israel despite the Gaza offensive steep toll on Palestinian civilians.
“We must ensure that U.S. aid is being used in accordance with human rights and our own laws,” Sanders said in a speech seeking support, lamenting what he described as the Senate’s failure to consider any measure looking at the war’s effect on civilians.
The White House had said it opposed the resolution, which could have paved the way toward the setting of conditions on security assistance to Israel.
Senators who opposed the proposal said it sent the wrong message, at a time when Israel had said it was shifting to a more co-ordinated campaign.
“This resolution is not just off-base, it’s disastrous. It sends absolutely the wrong signal at the wrong time,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
The United States gives Israel $3.8 billion in military aid each year, covering fighter jets to powerful bombs that could destroy Hamas tunnels. Biden has asked Congress to approve an additional $14 billion.
Sanders’ resolution was moved under the Foreign Assistance Act, which authorises Congress to direct State to provide a human rights report and other information on any country received U.S. security assistance.
If the resolution had approved,, it would have required the State Department to provide a report to Congress within 30 days. After getting the report, Congress could consider another resolution drafting changes to security assistance to Israel.
Israel launched the war to eradicate Hamas, an Iran-backed group vow to Israel’s destruction, after militants stormed across the border fence on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing 240 hostages, Israeli tallies showed.
Gaza health authorities, whose data the United Nations has deemed broadly reliable, said the war, now in its fourth month, had by Tuesday killed 24,285 people in the Palestinian enclave.
Thousands more bodies are feared buried in the debris left after Israeli bombing.
The war has pushed most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people from their homes, some of them several times, and caused a serious humanitarian crisis, with food, fuel and medical supplies running crticial low.
Biden’s administration says it has pushed Israel to reduce civilian casualties, but Israel says it will not rest until Hamas is wiped out, and the militants are showing no sign of losing the means to resist.