Bernie Sanders, an independent senator who regularly engages in political action with Democrats, called for a debate on the US Foreign Assistance Act, which prohibits providing security support to the government of any country that “has a consistent pattern of serious violations of internationally recognized human rights. human rights,” allowing Congress to vote in favor of requiring the US presidential administration to report on measures to respect human rights in a given country.
If the resolution requesting the President’s report is adopted, the US State Department will be required to submit a report on the situation in Israel and Gaza within 30 days.
Otherwise, all security assistance to Israel will be cut off.
But it is unclear how much support such a resolution would receive at a time when U.S. lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, have for years approved huge amounts of military aid to Israel with only minor restrictions.
Sanders’ resolution recognizes Israel’s right to respond to the October 7 attack on its citizens by Islamist Hamas militants. However, the senator “regrets the magnitude of the suffering in Gaza.”
“This is a humanitarian disaster and it is happening with American money, using American bombs. We need to recognize this fact and then end our complicity in these actions,” Sanders said.
Incessant Israeli bombing has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, according to “health officials”, and they estimate that some 19,000 people have already died.
Washington continues to urge Israel to do everything possible to reduce civilian casualties as global outrage grows over the deepening humanitarian catastrophe in the war zone.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after the group’s militants launched a brutal attack on Israeli civilian settlements on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government says Hamas is using civilians as “human shields.”
Hamas denies the claim, but both allies and opponents of Israel say not enough has been done to protect civilians.
