Both Ga. Senators — one of whom is Jewish — vote for arms embargo against Israel

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders speaking with attendees at the 2019 California Democratic Party State Convention at the George R. Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, June 2, 2019. Gage Skidmore/Flickr.

by JNS and Israel InSight reports

Jewish groups applauded the Senate’s decision on Nov. 20 to reject a bid by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to block weapon sales to Israel.

The Senate voted 18 to 79 against a resolution blocking the sale of tank rounds, 19 to 78 against a resolution barring the sale of high-explosive mortar rounds and 17 to 80 against a resolution banning the sale of Joint Direct Attack Munitions guidance systems that enable “dumb” bombs to instead make precision strikes.

The Democratic Majority for Israel said on X that “Sanders et al are voting for more civilian casualties” by blocking the JDAMs.

Both of Georgia’s senators voted in favor of the ban — Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is Jewish, and Sen. Raphael Warnock, though Ossoff voted in favor of two of the three bans as he voted against halting the JDAMs. All of the votes in favor of blocking aid were Democrats, except for Sanders and Angus King of Maine.

The resolutions were introduced in September by Sanders and co-sponsored by Sens. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). They would prevent the transfer of more than $20 billion in offensive weapons to Jerusalem.

Ahead of the vote, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) denounced the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval, saying the Israel’s war against Hamas and Hezbollah is directly linked to the “coordinated efforts of Russia, Iran, North Korea and China” against the United States.

Israel Ambassador Michael Herzog told lawmakers that “anyone urging you to ban critical arms to Israel during an existential war is NOT pro-Israel.”

When introducing the resolutions in September, Sanders condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli offensives in general. He reiterated these sentiments in a Nov. 18 op-ed in The Wall Street Journal.

“Netanyahu has bombed hospitals and schools, starved children, destroyed infrastructure and housing stock, and made life unlivable in Gaza. The United States must end its complicity in this atrocity,” he wrote, adding that “sending more weapons is not only immoral, it is also illegal.”

During his remarks before the Senate, a poster behind him showed an emaciated Gaza youth, implying that Israel is starving Gazans through a refusal to facilitate humanitarian aid. The poster is the same one which Rep. Rashida Tlaib used a few days earlier in the House to charge that Israel was deliberately staving civilians. Tlaib and Sanders were widely condemned for using the misleading photo, which is actually of Fadi al-Zant, a patient showing the effects of cystic fibrosis, whose evacuation from Gaza was facilitated by Israel, and he is receiving advanced treatment at a U.S. hospital.

In his floor remarks, Ossoff cited Israel’s pursuit of the PLO in Lebanon in 1982, when President Ronald Reagan called Prime Minister Menachem Begin, upset at the civilian toll in Beirut, and blocked the shipment of U.S. cluster bombs.

He said the U.S. will remain Israel’s closest ally, with an “ironclad” commitment, but added that no country is entitled to U.S. weapons “with no strings attached.” He said nobody is asking Israel to lay down its arms, but to conduct the war in a manner that respects U.S. interests and values. “This insistence has been ignored” because of extremist cabinet ministers, Ossoff said, “who insist there be no deviation from policies that are gratuitously brutal.”

He added that “the evidence that force has been repeatedly applied with reckless disregard for the innocent is too credible for us to ignore.”

Reactions to the votes

Almost 50 Jewish groups, congregations and organizations in the Atlanta area coordinated by the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, sent a letter to Ossoff and Warnock saying they are “deeply disappointed” by their backing of Sanders’ bills.

“Your vote demonstrates that your commitment to Israel’s security is not ironclad; rather it comes at the expense of Israeli defense,” the letter said. “It not only emboldens Iran and its proxies, it also stands in sharp contrast to the many expressions of support for Israel you have made.”

Their vote does not help Israel’s displaced persons in the north and south, secure the release of the hostages or protect innocent life on either side, the letter continues, and it fuels the increase in antisemitism.

“We all want this war to end. Limiting Israel’s ability to vanquish enemies that seek not only its defeat but destruction will prevent that from happening,” the letter said.

Rep. Esther Panitch, the only Jewish member of the Georgia Legislature, said she was “disheartened” by the votes from her fellow Democrats. She said Ossoff’s votes contradicted his “statement of ‘ironclad’ support for Israel. The resolutions were aimed at penalizing Israel and thereby weakening a democratically elected government at a critical time.”

She added that the votes would not be felt by Israel’s forces or government, “but acute feelings of abandonment by our senators are already being felt by pro-Israel constituents, both Jewish and not Jewish, in Georgia.”

Cheryl Dorchinsky, founder of the Atlanta Israel Coalition, said she was “disgusted” by the votes of Georgia’s senators.

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said he voted no because “Israel’s enemies desire to wipe them from the face of the earth. Limiting Israel’s ability to defend itself helps its enemies. It certainly doesn’t help Israel. The United States should stand with Israel.”

Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith said “I support Israel and her right to defend herself against the constant threat of terrorism. Our alliance goes beyond partnership — it’s a reflection of our shared democratic values and mutual respect. We must ensure that Israel has the resources needed to protect her people.

Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas called Sanders’ efforts “absolutely shameful and morally bankrupt.”

“AIPAC commends the U.S. Senate for standing with Israel and overwhelmingly rejecting proposed bans on critical weapons sales to the Jewish state as it fights to protect its families from Iran and its terrorist proxies,” the pro-Israel group stated. “We applaud the Biden administration for approving these sales and helping ensure Israel has the resources it needs to win.”

AIPAC added that most Senate Democrats and Republicans “again demonstrated profound American support for our ally and rejected the dangerous efforts” of Sanders “and his allies to weaken Israel and undermine the U.S.-Israel relationship.”

“The Jewish state is on the front lines of the fight against common enemies. These arms sales help strengthen our ally, deter further Iranian aggression and create American jobs,” AIPAC said. “America must continue to stand with our democratic ally as Iran continues to escalate its seven-front war and its proxy holds 101 hostages, including 7 Americans.”

Mark Mellman, president and CEO of Democratic Majority for Israel, stated that the “dangerous and counterproductive resolutions are a betrayal of our ally, Israel, as it fights a defensive war. That’s why the clear and decisive majority of Democratic senators voted to defeat them.”

“Today, Democrats reaffirmed, once again, that the majority of our party stands firmly with the Israeli people and supports Israel’s security, especially in this critical time,” he stated. “While a few vocal anti-Israel voices in our party often get outsized attention, the majority of Senate Democrats remain steadfast in support of Israel’s sovereignty and right to self-defense.”

“The civilian deaths in Gaza and Lebanon are tragic — and the responsibility for those deaths lies squarely with Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran,” Mellman added. “Had they not deliberately provoked a war on Oct. 7 last year, almost all those civilians would be alive today.”

Matt Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, stated that “today marks a dangerous new low for anti-Israel Democrats in the U.S. Senate, who voted to cancel $20 billion in pending arms sales to Israel that were already authorized by Congress.”

Brooks — who noted that all of the “anti-Israel Democrats” who voted for the resolutions were endorsed by J Street, Jewish Democratic Council of America or both — added that it is “shameful that self-proclaimed ‘shomer’ Chuck Schumer refused to whip votes against this anti-Israel measure.”

“The American people overwhelmingly support Israel in this fight of good versus evil,” he stated. “Senate Democrats would do well to listen.”

While Democrat advocates chalk up the “yes” votes to a small minority of members, roughly one-third of the Senate Democrats voted in favor of Sanders’ bills. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who voted for all three measures, is expected to become the ranking minority member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for this coming session, and would be in line to chair the committee if the Democrats regain the Senate. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who also voted for all three, is the second-highest ranking Democrat in the Senate and current chair of the Judiciary Committee.

Updated throughout on Nov. 21.