Bernie Sanders vows to push resolution to block US weapons to Israel

Bill is unlikely to pass in Republican-controlled US Senate, but it could test waning support for Israel among Democrats.United States Senator Bernie Sanders has promised to advance a resolution to block bombs and bulldozers to Israel, testing support for the US ally in Congress amid the war with Iran.Sanders said on Monday that he will “force the vote” on the measure later this week – a legislative process of bringing a bill to the floor of the Senate without the approval of the majority leader.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump’s threat to blockade Hormuz: Why it’s the latest major escalationlist 2 of 3Trump warns Tehran ships ‘will be eliminated’ as US blockades Iranian portslist 3 of 3Bahrain summons Iraqi envoy as pro-Iranian attacks persist in Gulfend of list“This week, I will be forcing a vote on legislation to block the sale of nearly half a billion dollars worth of bombs and bulldozers to the Israeli military,” Sanders wrote on X.“The extremist Netanyahu government that has committed genocide in Gaza does not need more military support from American taxpayers,” he said, referring to the administration of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The resolution is unlikely to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate, but it will gauge the level of support Israel has among Democrats, who have been increasingly angry over the US-Israel war on Iran and the ongoing atrocities in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.Sanders put forward a similar bill in July of last year, but it failed in a 27-70 vote. Still, Palestinian rights advocates said at the time that the tally reflected an erosion in the pro-Israel bipartisan consensus in Washington.A majority of Senate Democrats backed the 2025 resolution.Since then, US public support for Israel has continued to nosedive, according to polls, especially among young people and Democrats.A Gallup poll in February suggested that only 46 per cent of Americans have favourable views of Israel. Only 17 percent of Democratic respondents said they sympathise more with Israelis than Palestinians.