Senate refuses to compel Israel to report on human rights

The US Senate has rejected a resolution to investigate possible human rights violations in Israel’s Gaza offensive.

Recent developments in the United States Senate have seen the rejection of a significant resolution. The resolution, if passed, would require the State Department to prepare a comprehensive report within 30 days. The report in question was to investigate the possibility that Israel may have violated human rights during its military offensive in Gaza directed against Hamas.

The voting process revealed significant divisions: of the 100 members of the Senate, 54 were against the resolution, thus blocking its legislative progress. The vote was promoted by Senator Bernie Sanders, who, though an independent, generally aligns with Democrats.

The resolution, despite its defeat, evidenced a growing uneasiness among some members of the Democratic Party, particularly those who lean more left, about Israel’s policies. This group, though a minority, is growing within the party.

Sanders, before the vote, forcefully expressed his position: “It is imperative that American aid be administered in a framework that respects human rights and conforms to our laws.”

The White House administration, led by President Joe Biden, was openly against the resolution. If approved, this could set a precedent for the conditionality of the security assistance the United States provides to Israel. The aid currently amounts to $3.8 billion a year, and includes everything from fighter jets to bombs capable of destroying Hamas tunnels. Additionally, Biden has requested an additional $14 billion from Congress.

Sanders’ proposal was based on the Foreign Assistance Act, which allows Congress to provide the State Department with reports on human rights conditions in any nation that receives US security assistance.

If the resolution passes, the State Department must deliver a detailed report to Congress within 30 days. With this report in hand, Congress will have the power to consider future resolutions that could propose adjustments in security assistance to Israel.

Israel launched a military campaign aimed at neutralizing Hamas, an Iranian-backed organization that had declared its intention to destroy Israel. The offensive was a response to the infiltration of thousands of militants across the border on October 7, an attack in which they killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 240.

According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, the war has killed more than 24,000 people. This figure, although not independently verified, is believed to include both civilians and members of Hamas killed in Gaza as a result of friendly fire from rockets launched by these terrorist groups. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported killing approximately 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7 and over 9,000 operatives in Gaza in the days following.