Democratic Leadership Pushes Back Against Effort to Block Arms Sales to Israel

(The Hill) Alexander Bolton - The resolutions sponsored by Sen. Sanders to block the sale of certain offensive weapons to Israel received strong pushback from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Ben Cardin (D-Md.). Schumer said, "Israel is surrounded by enemies dedicated to its annihilation from Hamas to Hizbullah to the Houthis to, most threateningly of all, Iran. These threats have been for a long time and will persist for many years into the future." Cardin said restrictions on sales of kits for precision guided bombs would likely lead to more civilian casualties. Without precision guidance, bombs have "a much higher likelihood of missing the target." Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, applauded the "majority of Senate Democrats" for voting against the measures. "As the Biden White House stated in a memo to the Senate, 'Now is the time to focus pressure on Hamas to release the hostages and stop the war. Cutting off arms from Israel would put this goal even further out of reach and prolong the war, not shorten it.'"


2024-11-21 00:00:00

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