JAKARTA - Two resolutions that will block arms sales to Israel in response to the fall of civilian casualties in Gaza were blocked in the US Senate on Wednesday, although both have more support than similar measures earlier this year.
The two resolutions were submitted by Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who sided with the Democratic Party.
The resolutions failed with the vote acquisition of 73 to 24 and 70 to 27 of the 100 members of the assembly in the vote Wednesday, July 30 evening local time.
A similar move, also put forward by Sanders, failed with votes 82-15 and 83-15 in April.
The decades-long strong bipartisan support tradition for Israel at the US Congress means a resolution to stop arms sales will most likely not be passed, but supporters hope raising this issue will prompt the Israeli government and the US government to do more to protect civilians.
All votes for the resolution came from the Democratic Party, while all Republican counterparts of President Donald Trump opposed him. Sanders said he was pleased the majority of Democratic causas had supported the effort.
"The situation is turning around. The American people don't want to spend billions of dollars to make children in Gaza starving," Sanders said.
"The Democratic Party continues to move forward on this issue, and I look forward to support from the Republican Party in the near future," he continued.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, a high-ranking Democratic Party on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was one of the Democratic Party members who opposed a resolution Backed by Sanders in April, but this time she voted for it.
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Shaheen said Israel has the right to defend its citizens.
"It is clear that the Israeli government did not carry out its military operations in Gaza with the caution required by international humanitarian law. It is also clear that the Israeli government has failed to allow adequate humanitarian aid to Gaza, which resulted in tremendous suffering," he explained.
The resolution should block the sale of $675 million worth of bombs and deliver 20,000 assault rifles.
Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee of Republicans, said in his speech against the resolution that the Hamas militant group was to blame for the situation in Gaza.
"For the sake of America and the world, this terrorist group must be destroyed," he said.
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