PREPARED REMARKS: Sanders, Merkley, Welch, and Van Hollen Hold Press Conference Ahead of Wednesday Vote to Block Offensive Arm Sales to Israel

PREPARED REMARKS: Sanders, Merkley, Welch, and Van Hollen Hold Press Conference Ahead of Wednesday Vote to Block Offensive Arm Sales to Israel

• November 19, 2024

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today held a press conference with Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) to discuss the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRD) to block the sale of certain offensive arms to Israel. Sanders will bring the JRDs to the Senate floor for a vote this Wednesday. The resolutions were officiallyintroduced on September 25, 2024. Sens. Merkley and Welch are cosponsors on resolutions to block the sale of 120mm mortar rounds and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMS). Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) joins them as a cosponsor on a third resolution to block the sale of tank rounds.

The JRD is the only formal mechanism available to Congress to prevent an arms sale noticed by the Administration from advancing.

Sanders' remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below and can be watched live HERE:

Thank you all for being here. And let me thank Senators Merkley, Welch, and Van Hollen for being with us. We're here to discuss the three Joint Resolutions of Disapproval, or JRDs, the Senate will be voting on tomorrow. They are:

• S.J.Res.111 - to block 120mm tank rounds.
• S.J.Res.113 - to block 120mm high-explosive mortar rounds.
• S.J.Res.115 - to block JDAMs - which are guidance kits attached to many of the bombs dropped in Gaza.

The truth is that, from a legal perspective, these resolutions are not complicated. They are cut and dry. The United States government is currently in violation of the law, and every member of the Senate who believes in the rule of law should vote for these resolutions.

The Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act are very clear: the U.S. cannot provide weaponry to countries that violate internationally recognized human rights or block U.S. humanitarian aid. According to the United Nations, much of the international community, and every humanitarian organization on the ground in Gaza, Israel is clearly in violation of these laws. Under these circumstances, it is illegal for the U.S. government to provide them with more offensive weaponry. Joint Resolutions of Disapproval are Congress' tool to enforce the law.

As I have said many times, Israel clearly had a right to respond to the horrific Hamas terrorist attack on October 7th, which killed about 1,200 innocent people and took 250 hostages. I don't think anybody in the U.S. Senate disagrees with that. But Prime Minister Netanyahu's extremist government has not simply waged war against Hamas. It has waged all-out war against the Palestinian people. Within Gaza's population of just 2.2 million, more than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 103,000 injured - 60 percent of whom are women, children or elderly people. Two-thirds of all structures in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. That includes 87 percent of the housing, 84 percent of health facilities, and 70 percent of water and sanitation plants. Every one of Gaza's 12 universities has been bombed, as have hundreds of schools. For 13 months, there has been no electricity in Gaza.

As horrific as that situation is, what is taking place today is even worse. As a result of Israel blocking desperately needed humanitarian aid, in recent weeks the volume of aid getting into Gaza is lower than at any point since the war began. More aid is needed, less is getting through. The result: many thousands of children are facing malnutrition and starvation. According to very recent UN reports, "the situation unfolding in North Gaza is apocalyptic." "The entire population in North Gaza is at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence."

And Israel's recent decision to ban UNRWA, the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza, will only make a horrific situation even worse.

Clearly what is happening in Gaza today is unspeakable, but what makes it even more painful is that much of this has been done with U.S. weapons and American taxpayer dollars. In the last year alone, the U.S. has provided $18 billion in military aid to Israel and delivered more than 50,000 tons of military equipment.

In other words, the United States is complicit in these atrocities. That complicity must end, and that is what these resolutions are about. It is time to tell the Netanyahu government that they cannot use U.S. taxpayer dollars and American weapons in violation of U.S. and international law and our moral values.

It is also time to make clear to Netanyahu that he cannot continue to undermine U.S. foreign policy goals: the U.S. government wants a ceasefire for hostage deal; Netanyahu has prevented a deal to preserve his coalition. The U.S. government wants more humanitarian aid to reach desperate people in Gaza; Netanyahu is blocking it. The U.S. government wants to contain regional escalation; Netanyahu has refused diplomatic off-ramps and launched several reckless attacks without consulting the United States. The U.S. government wants to stop settlement expansion and settler violence in the West Bank; Netanyahu and his ministers have driven record settlement expansion and armed extremist settlers. The U.S. government wants a plan for postwar governance in Gaza; Netanyahu will not engage.

And, by the way, blocking these sales would also be in keeping with actions taken by some of our closest allies. The UK suspended 30 arms export licenses after concluding there was an unacceptable risk they could be used in violation of international law. Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands have taken similar steps. UN bodies have called for an end to the arms shipments fueling the conflict.

So thank you again for being here, and let me hand it over to Senator Merkley.

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