Remember the names of the 19 senators who voted to block arms for Israel
On Wednesday, the Senate held a vote on three resolutions aimed at isolating Israel and kneecapping its defense — and 17 Democrats and two Independents voted for them.Now we know who the snakes in the grass are.The bills, filed by Sen.
Bernie Sanders, aimed to blocked $20 billion in US arms (military tank and mortar rounds and joint-direct-attack munitions) for the Jewish state.Sens.
Dick Durbin (D-Ill), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-Minn.) Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), George Helmy (D-NJ) as well as Angus King (I-Maine) and Sanders each voted in favor of at least one of the three bills, while Sen.Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) voted “present.”Fine: Other Democrats (and every Republican) voted the right way, but this was nearly half the Senate majority caucus basically smearing Israel’s war of self-defense.
Which begs the question: Why did Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer let these anti-Israel resolutions make it to the floor in the first place?We can only conclude that he’s that beholden to his party’s hard left.Meanwhile Schumer for months refused to allow a floor vote on a bipartisan House-passed bill that would oblige the federal Education Department to get tough on colleges now turning a blind eye to antisemitism in and around those “pro-Palestine” demonstrations.
Instead, he’s folding the Antisemitism Awareness Act into the Defense Authorization Act, badly weakening the message that the hate needs to end.Schumer loves to brag about how he protects Israel and the Jewish people, but apparently his party’s anti-Israel wing comes first.
At least these 19 senators have now declared themselves: Every American who believes Israel has the same right to self-defense as any ...