Sanders forces Senate votes to block nearly $500 million in arms sales to Israel — both fail

WASHINGTON, United States (MNTV) – Senator Bernie Sanders forced Senate votes Wednesday on two resolutions to block nearly $500 million in proposed U.S. arms sales to Israel, delivering a sweeping indictment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies — but both measures were defeated.

The first resolution sought to block a $295 million sale of armored bulldozers, which Sanders said are used to demolish Palestinian homes in the West Bank and Gaza, “making a Palestinian state physically impossible.”

It failed 40-59. The second, seeking to halt a $151.8 million sale of 1,000-pound bombs, was rejected 36-63.

Sanders said the American people do not want to continue spending billions of taxpayer dollars in support of what he called the “illegal, horrific and expansionist war policies” of the Netanyahu government, noting the US has provided over $21 billion in military aid to Israel since October 2023. He also broadened his critique beyond Gaza.

“It is not just Gaza and the West Bank. We now know that Netanyahu convinced President Donald Trump to start an unprovoked and unconstitutional war on Iran,” he said.

On Lebanon, he added: “Netanyahu is now waging a full-blown war of expansion against Lebanon. That war has not only killed more than 2,000 people but has resulted in Israel occupying 14% of Lebanese territory.”

More than 72,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023. A ceasefire was reached in October 2025, but violations have been frequent.