In stern message to Biden, Democratic 'rebels' vote in favour of freezing aid to Israel
He hit out at his colleagues over the mounting death toll and the extensive use of American-supplied bombs and artillery shells in what had been heavily populated civilian areas.
Joe Biden
WASHINGTON: Further complicating the situation for President Joe Biden, a group of Senate Democrats on Tuesday, voted in favour of advancing a resolution to potentially freeze US military aid to Israel, The Hill reported. The resolution sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders sends a pointed message to President Biden that the war in Gaza is becoming a major problem for the Democrats.
The Senate voted 72 to 11 to reject the resolution, but the number of Democrats who supported the measure reflects rising dissatisfaction within a section of the party over the civilian casualties in Gaza, which has now reportedly crossed 24,000, as per The Hill. Nine Democrats voted with Sanders, as did Republican Senator Rand Paul (Ky.), a frequent critic of US foreign aid.
Sanders, the Senate's leading critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the siege and invasion of Gaza called it "immoral." He hit out at his colleagues over the mounting death toll and the extensive use of American-supplied bombs and artillery shells in what had been heavily populated civilian areas.
"Whether we like it or not, the United States is complicit in the nightmare that millions of Palestinians are now experiencing," he declared on the Senate floor, warning that hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza "are starving right before our eyes." He cited media reports that Israel dropped more than 22,000 American-supplied bombs on Gaza in a six-week span, including 2,000-pound bombs that can destroy entire neighbourhoods.
The other Democrats who voted for the resolution were Sens. Laphonza Butler (Calif.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Ben Ray Lujan (N.M.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (Md.) and Peter Welch (Vt.), The Hill reported. As per The Hill, this comes amid growing tensions between Biden and Netanyahu over the management of the war. The two leaders haven't spoken since a tense December 23 call.
The Biden administration has put pressure on Netanyahu's government to reduce civilian casualties and to wrap up the heaviest fighting as soon as possible, but to little effect. Netanyahu has largely ignored the administration's calls to reengage with Palestinian leaders once the fighting subsides in pursuit of a two-state solution to achieving lasting peace in the region.
He also declared over the weekend that "no one" will stop Israel's mission to eliminate Hamas, even though some foreign policy experts are skeptical that Israeli forces could fully eliminate Hamas leaders and militants if the conflict lasts months longer, The Hill reported. Meanwhile, the polls show that Biden's handling of the war in Gaza has become a growing political liability for his reelection.
A New York Times/Siena College poll conducted last month showed that 57 per cent of registered voters nationwide disapprove of Biden's response to the conflict, including 37 percent of Democrats. Especially concerning for Biden's political advisers, 72 per cent of registered voters aged 18 to 29 -- a demographic that voted strongly for Biden in 2020 -- disapprove of his performance on the issue, The Hill reported.
