This legislative ask is designed to be shared with your members of Congress and their staff.
In August, the Biden Administration approved a series of arms sales to Israel totaling more than $20 billion. Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) led by Senators Bernie Sanders (VT), Peter Welch (VT), Jeff Merkley (OR), and Brian Schatz (HI) would block the sale of many offensive weapons that have been used in strikes that have killed thousands of civilians, including aid workers and journalists, in Gaza over the last year.
These weapons include joint direct attack munitions (JDAMs) and 120-millimeter tank shells, which the Israeli military has repeatedly used in attacks that have killed civilians in densely populated areas. The JRDs do not implicate missile defense systems such as the Iron Dome and David’s Sling.
The United States cannot claim the high ground when it sends billions of dollars in weapons to a government that has shown so little regard for civilian life, and which credible reports allege has engaged in actions that violate international law. Congress must pass these resolutions and use all forms of U.S. leverage to bring a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon, and across the region.
Cosponsor and vote in favor of Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block the sale of offensive weapons to Israel (S.Res.111, 112, 113, 114, 115, and 116)
Why Congress must pass these Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to stop the sale of offensive weapons to Israel:
- Documented Harm to Civilians: Independent human rights and conflict monitors have thoroughly documented the Israeli military’s use of these weapons from the United States in attacks that have killed Palestinian civilians in Gaza. President Biden has described Israeli government attacks as “indiscriminate,” which is a violation of the laws of war. Humanitarian groups have stressed that Israeli forces continue to block the delivery of humanitarian aid as hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza are on the precipice of starvation and suffering from the spread of deadly diseases, including polio.
- Contrary to U.S. Law and Policy: U.S. law and the Biden administration’s own arms transfer policy prohibit arms transfers to any country that engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of human rights and restricts the delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance. According to the Biden administration’s own report, continued arms transfers to the Israeli government do not comply with these standards.
- Leverage for a Ceasefire: There is no military solution to this crisis in Israel-Palestine and across the Middle East. As Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the mother of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin said, “[S]even hostages have come out through military operation. Over 100 have come out through a negotiated settlement. It’s pretty clear that what we need to do.” By stopping these arms sales, Congress would send a clear message that only diplomacy – not more weapons – is the way to bring hostages home and achieve a peaceful settlement to the violence in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and across the region.