Senator Bernie Sanders says that he will be voting "no" on a foreign aid supplemental bill that would provide an additional $10 billion in aid to Israel.
Sanders, who is Jewish, accused Israel of going to "war against the entire Palestinian people."
"Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas’s terrorism, but it does not have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people," the Vermont senator said in a statement released on Wednesday. The Senate is considering a foreign aid supplemental bill that provides $10 billion more in U.S. military aid for the Netanyahu government to continue its horrific war against the Palestinian people. That is unconscionable. I will be voting NO. pic.twitter.com/mkF5iU7xKK
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 7, 2024
"Since this war began over 27,000 Palestinians have been killed and 67,000 wounded – two-thirds of whom are women and children," Sanders continued. "Over 1.7 million people have been driven from their homes and have no idea as to where they will be in the future. Almost 70% of the housing units in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged. And today, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children are literally starving to death because Netanyahu’s right-wing government is preventing desperately needed food and water from getting into Gaza. And, to make this unspeakable situation even worse, this bill even prohibits funding for UNRWA, the major humanitarian aid provider in Gaza."
The statement concluded, "This bill provides $10 billion dollars more in U.S. military aid for the Netanyahu government to continue its horrific war against the Palestinian people. That is unconscionable. That is why I will be voting NO."
A foreign aid and border package up for a vote on Wednesday includes approximately $60 billion for Ukraine, $14.1 billion for Israel, and $20.23 billion for the U.S. border. The bill would require 60 votes to advance — but many Republicans are refusing to support it.
CNN reports, "If Republicans block the larger package as expected, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to force a procedural vote on an emergency aid package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan — and drop the new border deal — according to a Democratic aide."
"The majority of Republicans in the House said they want to do Ukraine, they want to do Israel. And we hope that if we pass it in the Senate, that the House would then rise to the occasion. The House is in chaos. It doesn't behoove the Speaker well to block everything because 30 hard rightwing people just want chaos like Donald Trump," Schumer told reporters.
The White House has expressed support for the supplemental foreign aid package.
“We support this bill which would protect America’s national security interests by stopping Putin’s onslaught in Ukraine before he turns to other countries, helping Israel defend itself against Hamas terrorists and delivering live-saving humanitarian aid to innocent Palestinian civilians," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement to CNN.
