The US Senate rejected a pair of resolutions Wednesday that were introduced by progressive Senator Bernie Sanders aimed at blocking over $675 million in arms sales to Israel, but for the first time, a majority of Democrats voted against the weapons transfers.

Twenty-seven Democrats voted to block the sale of tens of thousands of assault rifles to Israel, while 17 voted with Republicans to advance the transfer.

Twenty-four Democrats voted to block the sale of 5,000 heavy bombs and guidance kits to Israel, compared to 20 who voted with Republicans to advance the transfer.

Sanders, an independent, has brought such resolutions to the Senate floor throughout the Gaza war, and Wednesday’s were as sure to fail as all previous ones, given that Republicans don’t even need help from Democrats to block the measures due to the GOP majority.

But the two latest votes showed how Democrats have grown increasingly disillusioned with Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza.

The last time Sanders brought a resolution to the floor in April, only 15 Democrats voted to try to  block a weapons sale. It was a drop from the previous attempt in November 2024, when 19 Democrats voted to oppose such a transfer.

In a statement celebrating the shift within the Democratic Party, Sanders said the majority of his caucus “voted to stop sending arms shipments to a Netanyahu government which has waged a horrific, immoral, and illegal war against the Palestinian people.”

“The tide is turning. The American people do not want to spend billions to starve children in Gaza,” he added. “The Democrats are moving forward on this issue,........

© The Times of Israel