(NewsNation) — The Senate is expected to vote on two resolutions aimed at halting the sale of offensive U.S. weapons to Israel.
The resolutions, S.J.Res.34 and S.J.Res.41, would prohibit the sale of certain weapons to Israel, including 1,000-pound bombs, Joint Direct Attack Munition guidance kits and thousands of assault rifles.
Sen. Sanders’ proposed resolutions
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced the resolutions in March after Congress was alerted to the Trump administration’s plans to send Israel an additional $1 billion worth of weaponry.
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Sanders has pushed heavily for the resolutions to be put to a vote, which comes amid growing domestic and international pressure to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“We cannot continue to spend taxpayer money on a government which has killed some 60,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 143,000 — most of whom are women, children and the elderly. We cannot continue supporting a government which has blocked humanitarian aid, caused massive famine and literally starved the people of Gaza,” Sanders said.
Sanders told NewsNation’s Joe Khalil he is unsure how Republicans will vote on the resolutions, but he hopes they will be in support of them, as he believes most Americans do not want taxpayer dollars funding more violence in Gaza.
While the resolutions do not have the force of law behind them, if passed, they would be a strong message of condemnation to Israel from U.S. lawmakers.
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Shift in Republican stance
In a notable shift, Republican lawmakers and the Trump administration are starting to acknowledge the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Trump recently committed $60 million in aid and expressed interest in setting up U.S.-backed food centers in the region.
“We’re going to set up food centers and where people can walk in and no boundaries. We’re not going to have fences,” Trump said Monday.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., condemned “the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza,” in a social media post Monday. She became the first Republican lawmaker to use the term “genocide” to describe the conflict.
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These comments mark a stark change in Republican ideology surrounding the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
U.S. envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff will travel to Israel on Thursday, which marks his first time visiting the country in three months.
‘Worst case scenario’ unfolding in Gaza
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to increase in severity daily.
According to the United Nations-supported Integrated Food Security Phase Classification platform, “the worst-case scenario of Famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip.”
The IPC also verified that two out of the three famine thresholds, plummeting food consumption and acute malnutrition, have been reached in the region. Additionally, “there is mounting evidence that ‘widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease’ are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths, which is the third famine indicator,” according to the IPC.
