Record number of Democrats join failed bid to block weapons sales to Israel

US Senate vote highlights growing split among Democrats over support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

The United States Senate has rejected a bid to halt arms sales to Israel amid growing international condemnation of its war in Gaza.

Though unsuccessful, Wednesday’s vote nonetheless highlighted building opposition to Israel’s war within the Democratic Party.

Twenty-seven Democrats voted for a resolution to block the sale of 20,000 automatic assault rifles to Israel, while 24 voted to halt a $675m shipment of bombs.

All Republicans voting were opposed.

The resolutions introduced by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are by far the closest the US Senate has come to limiting arms shipments to Israel.

A bid by Sanders to block weapons deliveries in April won the support of 15 Democrats, while a similar vote in November garnered 18 Democratic votes.

Ahead of the vote, Sanders, an independent, said Washington could not continue to supply Israel’s “racist government” with weapons that were being used to kill innocent people.

“Netanyahu is a disgusting liar. Children are starving to death,” Sanders said on X.

Among the lawmakers supporting Sanders’ bid for the first time, Patty Murray, a senator for Washington state, said that while the resolutions were “not perfect”, she could not support the continued suffering of innocent children in Gaza.

“As a longtime friend and supporter of Israel, I am voting yes to send a message: the Netanyahu government cannot continue with this strategy,” Murray said in a statement.

“Netanyahu has prolonged this war at every turn to stay in power. We are witnessing a man-made famine in Gaza – children and families should not be dying from starvation or disease when literal tons of aid and supplies are just sitting across the border.”

The widening split over support for Israel among Democrats comes amid signs of growing opposition to Israel’s war among the US public.

In a Gallup poll released on Tuesday, 32 percent of Americans said they approved of Israel’s military action in Gaza, a 10-point drop from September.

Just 8 percent of self-identified Democrats said they approved of Israel’s actions, compared with 71 percent of Republicans, according to Gallup.