Sen. Bernie Sanders has just filed Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRD) in the US Senate on September 25 that would block the sale of offensive U.S. weaponry to Israel. The JRD is the only mechanism available to Congress to prevent an arms sale from advancing. Click to view a detailed fact sheet about JRDs.
In August, the Biden Administration approved arms sales to Israel totaling more than $20 billion. The sales include several systems that are directly tied to tens of thousands of civilian deaths in Gaza. The export of these weapons would clearly violate the criteria laid out in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act (AECA).
In a press statement, Sen. Sanders said, “On October 7, 2023, Hamas waged a terrorist attack against Israel, killing 1,200 innocent people and taking over 240 hostages. Israel, of course, had the right to defend itself against Hamas.
Israel did not, however, have the right to wage an all-out war against the Palestinian people, which is what Prime Minister Netanyahu’s extremist government has done. The result: More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 95,000 injured – 60 percent of whom are women, children, or elderly people. Further, as a result of Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid into Gaza, many thousands of children there face malnutrition and even starvation.”
As we reach the first full year of this war, I'm writing to urge you to take immediate action by clicking here or on the button below to email your Senators and Representative. It takes less than a minute--though you can take longer to modify the wording if you choose.
The carnage in Gaza has been carried out with U.S.-provided military equipment. Providing more offensive weapons to continue this disastrous war would violate U.S. and international law. The sales would reward Netanyahu’s extremist government, even as it continues to cause massive destruction in Gaza; undermine the prospects of a ceasefire deal that would secure the release of the hostages; and advance its effort to illegally annex the West Bank.
Reliable human rights monitors have rigorously documented numerous incidents involving U.S. offensive weapons leading to horrifying civilian death and harm. The Administration’s own report concluded that these weapons “have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its international humanitarian law obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm."
Blocking these sales would be in harmony with the international community and some of our closest allies. The United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands have all acted in recent months to stop or restrict offensive arms deliveries due to the high risk they could be used in violation of international law. The United Nations bodies and numerous humanitarian organizations have also called for an end to the arms shipments fueling the conflict.
P.S. Click here to view my sermon on The Things That Make for Peace on Sunday, September 15 at Christ Congregation in Princeton in observance of my denomination's Just Peace Sunday.
Sincerely,
The Rev. Robert Moore
Executive Director
Coalition for Peace Action &
Peace Action Education Fund
7 Vandeventer Ave.
Princeton, NJ 08542
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