US: Bernie Sanders introduces bill to block $20m arms deal to Israel

US Senator Bernie Sanders revealed on Wednesday that he had introduced legislation to block $20 million worth of US weapon shipments to Israel.

The legislation, named Joint Resolution of Disapproval, sought to obstruct the sizeable amount of US weapons sales to Israel, which had been bombarding the Gaza Strip for almost a year, killing at least 41,534 Palestinians.

"Sending more weapons to Netanyahu's extremist government is immoral and illegal," Sanders said in a statement, stressing that "US weapons are responsible for far too many civilian casualties in Gaza."

"We must end our complicity in this atrocity," he added.

Israel has received billions of dollars in weapons from the US amid its war on the Gaza Strip since 7 October.

Evidence suggested that US weaponry had been used in attacks which killed Gazan civilians in the war, including an incident in December, where US-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) were used on civilians in two strikes which killed 43 Palestinians in central Gaza.

Sanders, who is of Jewish descent, went on to criticise Netanyahu for waging a war against the Palestinian people, and for bombarding hospitals and schools, starving children and "making life unlivable in Gaza".

However, he said Israel "had the right" to respond to Hamas’ unprecedented attack on October 7 on southern Israel.

The progressive lawmaker also pointed to the contradiction of the sending of US weapons to Israel while trying to secure a ceasefire.

"Congress must now act to uphold US and international law and use our leverage to advance US policy goals," he said.

The Senate is expected to vote on the resolution when it reconvenes in November.