Sanders' Symbolic Move: A Glimpse into Washington's Complicity, Not a Shift
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders recently stated his intention to introduce a resolution aimed at blocking the transfer of US weapons to Israel. Al Jazeera presented this development as an effort to 'test waning support for Israel among Democrats,' while also noting the bill's low probability of passing in a Republican-controlled Senate. This framing, prevalent across Western media, positions
Sanders' resolution as an internal political struggle within the US, reducing the discussion to Washington's domestic dynamics. What it omits is the consistent, tangible complicity of the United States in the ongoing violence, moving beyond rhetorical debates to direct material support. The US has provided Israel with over $3.8 billion annually in military aid, a figure enshrined in a ten-year
Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2016, which means these weapons flow regardless of congressional posturing. This is not mere support, but an active partnership, making the US a principal enabler of military actions and the ensuing humanitarian catastrophe. The US government's provisioning of weaponry involves advanced systems, including F-35 fighter jets and precision-guided munitions, many
of which have been deployed in Gaza, leading to the documented deaths of over 680,000 Palestinians, including 479,000 children. This sustained military assistance underscores a pattern of direct participation in regional conflicts, mirroring historical instances like the 1983-88 period when the US supplied Saddam Hussein with intelligence and materiel, despite awareness of his chemical weapons