Russian Satellite News Agency, Washington, November 21: The US Senate voted down a resolution to block the sale of more than $20 billion worth of weapons to Israel, including tank ammunition, anti-personnel bombs, JDAM kits and tactical vehicles.
According to the voting results, all three resolutions were rejected by a majority of U.S. senators.
The three joint resolutions were introduced to the upper chamber of the U.S. Congress by Senator Bernie Sanders and supported by another group of lawmakers.
If passed, the resolution would block more than $20 billion in arms sales to Israel. Specifically, the documents propose blocking the sale of JDAMs , tank ammunition, anti-personnel munitions, and tactical vehicles.
“Sending additional weapons is not only immoral, it is illegal,” Sanders said in a statement in September 2024 explaining the resolutions. “The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act set clear requirements for the use of U.S. weapons, and Israel has flagrantly violated those rules.”
The senator noted that American weapons have been misused and that some of the systems provided by Washington have caused heavy civilian casualties.
“There is overwhelming documentary evidence that these weapons were used in violation of both U.S. and international law,” Sanders said.
On the morning of October 7, 2023, the Gaza Strip fired more than 3,000 rockets at Israel. After the rocket attack, Hamas militants entered the southern border area of Israel to attack passers-by and kidnap hostages. The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which actually controls the Gaza Strip, announced the launch of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation against Israel. The Israel Defense Forces immediately announced the launch of the “Iron Sword” operation against Hamas, and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel was in a state of war. Israeli Defense Minister Galant ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, cutting off the supply of food, electricity and natural gas; Israeli Energy Minister Katz subsequently announced that the water supply to the Gaza Strip had also been cut off.
According to official data, since the escalation of the conflict on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have caused more than 43,500 deaths and more than 104,000 injuries; about 1,200 people have died in Israel.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier that the bloody conflict between Palestine and Israel should be stopped immediately, and he called on both sides to cease fire and stop fighting. Lavrov also said that the way out of the Palestinian issue lies in the implementation of the “two-state solution” based on the UN Security Council resolution.
