Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Tuesday that he will file a Joint Resolution of Disapproval when Congress returns to session next month in another attempt to block future sales of U.S. offensive weaponry to Israel.
His post on X comes the same day that a letter leaked from the Biden administration to Israel, threatening to cut off military aid if Israel doesn't improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza within 30 days.
"When Congress returns, I will move Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block offensive arms sales to Israel," Sanders said in his post. "But President [Joe] Biden should act now: Israel is clearly violating U.S. & international law, using starvation as a tool of its all-out war against the Palestinian people."
Sanders last month introduced a resolution to block the sale of more than $20 billion in U.S. offensive arms sales to Israel, arguing that the sale violates the criteria laid out in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act.
In the Oct. 13 letter that was first surfaced by Israel Channel 12, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote of "the U.S. government's deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza," adding the administration seeks "urgent and sustained actions by your government this month to reverse this trajectory."
The letter outlined specific steps Israel must take within 30 days, including enabling a minimum of 350 trucks to enter Gaza per day, instituting pauses in fighting to allow aid delivery, and rescinding evacuation orders to Palestinian civilians when there is no operational need.
However, Coordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories, the Israeli body facilitating aid crossings into Gaza, denied that crossings into Gaza have been closed and detailed its latest efforts on Tuesday.
"In light of the @IDF [Israel Defense Forces] operations in the Jabaliya area targeting terrorist infrastructure and operatives embedded inside civilian areas, we continue to facilitate and ease humanitarian aid to Gaza's residents, particularly in the medical field," COGAT posted on X.
Further, COGAT said: "Our humanitarian efforts in northern Gaza over the last few days include:
- "The coordination and facilitation of the transfer of 33 patients, accompanying personnel, and hospital staff from Kamal Adwan Hospital to other functioning hospitals in Gaza.
- "68,650 liters of fuel delivered for operating hospitals.
- "The coordination of 800 blood transfusion units from southern to northern Gaza.
"We are committed to facilitating humanitarian aid, especially in the medical field to the civilian population in Gaza," COGAT posted.
The Senate would take up Sanders' resolution when the chamber reconvenes in November.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.