Senate Democrats Scoff At Biden's Israeli Arms Sale

Some of President Biden's key allies in the Senate are criticizing the administration's moves toward Israel, including the recent approval of arms sales to the military, which passed Congress, while also calling on the Israelis to end months of intense fighting.

Just before New Year's Day, the Biden administration passed a provision for the second time in a month that would transfer weapons to the Israelis without congressional approval. But senior U.S. officials have been publicly calling on Israel for weeks to ensure civilians are not put in harm's way as the death toll in Gaza climbs into the tens of thousands.

Senate Democrats, meanwhile, say transferring weapons to Israel without congressional oversight undermines transparency, marking the latest divide among Democrats over the war between Israel and Hamas.

“The US cannot issue a blank check [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s] “War in Gaza and its right-wing government that has shown gross disregard for Palestinian civilians,” Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) said in a statement to The Hill. “If the Biden administration fails to demonstrate transparency with Congress and the American people, Congress should act and close these loopholes for arms sales to Israel.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved the sale of more than $147 million worth of equipment, including detonators, charges and detonators needed for the 155mm grenades Israel already has. The government announced the sale on Friday, using emergency authority that some lawmakers said bypassed an essential step.

“Congressional review is a critical step in examining any major arms sale. The administration's decision to repeatedly shorten the already short timeline for congressional review undermines transparency and weakens accountability. The public deserves answers,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told The Hill.

The Biden administration, which proposed an aid package linking funds to Israel and Ukraine that Congress failed to deliver late last year, defended the sale.

“The United States is committed to Israel's security, and it is critical to U.S. national interests to ensure that Israel is able to defend itself against the threats it faces.” This proposed sale is consistent with these goals,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesman added that Congress was informed that Blinken “used his delegated authority to determine that an emergency exists requiring immediate approval of the transfer” due to “the urgency of Israel's defense needs.” .

But in recent weeks there has been a significant increase in pressure from U.S. officials – several of whom have traveled to the region – calling on Israel to moderate its attacks in Gaza and focus on Hamas while minimizing civilian casualties. While Biden's pro-Israel stance has remained steadfast since the deadly Oct. 7 attacks, divisions between Netanyahu, Biden and other U.S. officials have spilled into the public eye, particularly when it comes to the postwar Gaza Strip and the intensity of fighting in the region Palestinian enclave.

But the second arms sale to Israel without congressional approval has senators questioning the White House's strategy and messaging.

The administration received key support Wednesday from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the highest-ranking Jewish official, who advised reporters at the Capitol that Israel's immediate need for weapons required the measure.

“The State Department believes, as I believe, that Israel needs to get the materials it needs to defend itself against Hamas,” Schumer said.

Others on the left, however, have become increasingly skeptical of the Israelis, particularly because of their opposition to Netanyahu's handling of the situation. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Tuesday called on lawmakers to withhold more than $10 billion in military funding for the country, arguing that it would be used to support Israel's “totally disproportionate” and “immoral” war in Gaza.

“While we recognize that Hamas' barbaric attack sparked this war, we must also recognize that Israel's military response was grossly disproportionate, immoral and violative of international law,” Sanders said in a statement.

Overall, a handful of Senate Democrats have spoken out against the gun sale, including Sens. Tim Kaine (Va.), Peter Welch (Vt.), Van Hollen and Warren.

Kaine, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, suggested in a statement that the American public needed more information about the sale.

“Just as Congress has a critical role in all matters of war and peace, Congress should have full transparency about the weapons we transfer to another country. To unnecessarily bypass Congress is to keep the American people in the dark. We need a public explanation of the reasons for this decision – the second such decision this month,” he said in a statement.

In early December, the Biden administration took the first rare step to bypass Congress and approve an arms sale with an emergency resolution. Blinken approved the sale of about 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106 million to Israel.

The initial sale also drew criticism from lawmakers who argue that Congress typically has the power to weigh arms transfers and block them if necessary, leading critics to cluster primarily on the left side of the party the president's versus the government's handling of the war.

Biden is also under increasing pressure from progressives and other Democrats to call for a permanent ceasefire, a move the administration argues would only help Hamas.

Responding to the second arms sale, Sanders said Americans “must understand that Israel's war against the Palestinian people has been waged significantly with U.S. bombs, artillery shells and other forms of weaponry.”

He added that “the results were catastrophic,” referring to Palestinian Health Ministry reports that more than 22,000 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks, two-thirds of them women and children.