Jan. 16 (UPI) — Responding to a move to link Israel aid to human rights, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday rejected a resolution that would have forced the State Department to provide Congress with reports on possible human rights violations committed by Israel in Gaza.
The measure, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was voted down 72 to 11, with a number of Democrats joining Republicans in its defeat.
“No matter what your view on this terrible war may be, we cannot bury our eyes in the sand,” Sanders argued Tuesday from the Senate floor.
“We have not considered a single measure that grappled with the unprecedented destruction, the humanitarian crisis or the use of American weapons in a military campaign that has left so many dead, wounded and displaced,” Sanders said before the vote.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, was quick to slam the measure, saying it would “empower the terrorist” and “may be the most tone deaf thing in the history of the Senate.”
“This resolution is not only off-base, it’s dangerous. It sends absolutely the wrong signal at the wrong time,” Graham argued. “Israel is facing an existential crisis and has every right to respond to Hamas with force.”
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, of Delaware, joined Graham in voting against the resolution, saying while he is “deeply concerned” about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, he also could not support Sanders’ effort.
“I will continue raising these issues directly with Israeli officials and the Biden administration,” Coons said in a statement. “I do not, however, believe that risking the suspension of all U.S. assistance or publicly rebuking Israel in a way that could embolden its enemies will address these concerns, nor will it improve the humanitarian situation.”
Senate Appropriations Chair Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., agreed.
“While I do believe Congress should be fully informed of the nature of Israel’s war in Gaza while we continue to support our ally, I am concerned that the resolution could potentially cut off all aid to Israel and send a message that invites other adversaries in the region to expand the current conflict,” Murray said in a statement Tuesday.
The floor vote on the resolution was made possible under a clause in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and was first introduced by Sanders on Dec. 14.
Congress had not voted to request a human rights report under this part of the Foreign Assistance Act since 1976, when the act was amended. The Senate resolution, considered Tuesday, required a majority vote.
Sanders’ resolution was intended to put a congressional microscope on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s government for any “credible” human rights violations that may have occurred in the course of the military campaign in Gaza. It also inquired about steps the U.S. government has taken to limit the risk of civilian casualties.
Since the war began in October, more than 23,000 people in Gaza have been killed and nearly 90% of the population displaced by Israeli military action, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Palestinian sources also say 58,000 people in Gaza have been wounded and 70% of the housing infrastructure damaged or destroyed.
Additionally, 146 United Nations workers have been killed in the conflict, and more than 135 U.N. facilities have been damaged in Israeli air strikes, officials say.
Sanders’ resolution “details the extensive use of U.S. arms in the campaign, particularly massive explosive ordinance, such as thousands of 2,000-pound bombs and 155mm artillery” and will note the “credible findings from human rights monitors and the press that U.S. arms were used in strikes leading to many civilian casualties.”
While Sanders emphasized that the resolution would not change ongoing aid to Israel, he argued that the information requested from the State Department is information that members of Congress should have access to regardless of any differing viewpoints over the Israel-Hamas war.
“We have a responsibility to ask this question. If you believe Israel has done nothing wrong, then this information should support that belief,” said Sanders on Jan. 10, from the Senate floor.
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 requires that U.S. security assistance or arms provided to any country — such as Israel — be used in line with internationally recognized human rights laws. Section 502B(c) of the 1961 law empowers Congress to direct the State Department to provide information on the human rights record of the country receiving U.S. security assistance.
If the resolution had passed, a report would have been required to be delivered to Congress by the State Department within 30 days. As part of the law, Congress would have then held the power to consider adjustments to U.S. assistance to Israel.