US Senate rejected plan to impose conditions on security aid to Israel

The US Senate yesterday rejected a resolution aiming to impose conditions on security aid to Israel, reported Reuters.

The resolution, put forward by Senator Bernie Sanders, would have required freezing security aid to Israel unless the Department of State generates a report within 30 days, assessing whether human rights violations were committed by Israel in its war on Gaza.

However, the motion was set aside with 72 senators voting against it, while 11 supported it.

The US provides Israel with an annual military assistance package totaling $3.8 billion, including items such as fighter jets and potent munitions. Since 7 October, President Joe Biden has approved an additional $14 billion to assist Israel in its bombardment of Gaza.

In a speech advocating for the resolution, Sanders emphasised the need to ensure that US aid aligns with human rights and domestic laws and expressed disappointment that the Senate had not considered any measures addressing the war’s impact on civilians.

“We must ensure that US aid is being used in accordance with human rights and our own laws,” he said. “Hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza, innocent children, are starving right before our eyes. We cannot turn away. We must act.”

He added, “Tragically, despite the efforts of the UN and others, despite the growing humanitarian crisis we are seeing, the situation has actually gotten worse in terms of getting aid to the people in need, to these children.”

Meanwhile, senators against the measure argued that it conveyed a misleading message, particularly at a time when Israel is claiming a shift toward a more targeted military campaign.

“This resolution is not only off-base, it’s dangerous. It sends absolutely the wrong signal at the wrong time,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since 7 October. At least 24,285 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 61,154 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

According to the UN, 85 per cent of the population of Gaza is already internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60 per cent of the enclave’s infrastructure is damaged or destroyed.

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