Sanders Pledges Resolution to Block $20 Billion US Arms Sale to Israel

Sen. Bernie Sanders pledged Thursday to introduce a resolution to block the Biden administration's proposed $20 billion sale of additional U.S. weaponry to Israel, telling an audience in his home state of Vermont that he will "lead the effort to make sure that we do not give any more arms to Israel unless there's a radical change in politics."

"There will be another shipment of military weapons and planes that has to come before Congress to get an approval, and I will lead the effort to try to stop that," Sanders told Vermonters gathered at the Brattleboro Senior Center for an annual event hosted by the Independent senator's office.

Sanders, who called in to the event, has been an outspoken opponent of the Biden administration's continued transfer of offensive weapons to the Israeli government, which has repeatedly used American arms to target Palestinian civilians and humanitarian aid operations in violation of both U.S. and international law.

The U.S. State Department notified Congress on August 13 that it decided to approve the sale of dozens of F-15 fighter jets, tens of thousands of mortar shells, and other weaponry to Israel. Some of the military equipment isn't set to be delivered until 2026.

According to The New York Times, the Biden administration deliberately timed the notification for when both chambers of Congress were on recess in an effort to "avoid an ugly fight" over the sales.

Sanders' vow to introduce a resolution of disapproval could throw a wrench in the administration's plans for a smooth congressional review process.

As the advocacy group Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) explained earlier this month, the "only mechanism available to Congress to prevent this sale from advancing is a Joint Resolution of Disapproval (JRD)."

While the Biden administration is likely to argue that the 15-day period for lawmakers to challenge the proposed sale has passed, DAWN observed that "the Senate parliamentarian has previously ruled that the Senate can consider these cases even after the 15-day clock has expired."

Sarah Leah Whitson, DAWN's executive director, applauded Sanders late Thursday for "challenging this reckless provision of weapons to Israel."

"The whole world can see that Israel has massacred over 40,000 Gazans with U.S. weapons and has no intention of stopping the carnage," Whitson wrote on social media. "Just over a week ago, DAWN urged the Senate to pause and question this massive weapons sale, which is fueling not only the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza but a wider regional war."