The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, urges you to act now and tell your senators to support a resolution proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders that would block $20 billion in arms shipments to the Israeli government, which has expanded its indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Gaza and the West Bank in Palestine to Lebanon.
Next week the Senate is expected to vote on Senator Sanders’ Joint Resolutions of Disapproval, which seek to block over $20 billion in U.S. weapons sales to Israel. Participating in CAIR’s action alert to help ensure your Senators receive thousands of emails urging them to vote “YES” on this resolution.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION: No More Arms Sales to Netanyahu’s Genocide of Palestinians and Lebanese Civilians
SEE: 57 Groups to Senate: Vote to Block Weapons for Israel
These weapons have already claimed the lives of over 44,000 Palestinians and injured nearly 103,000 more – mostly women, children, and the elderly – with an additional 3,200 Lebanese civilians slaughtered to date.
The U.S. is bound by the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) to ensure that arms transfers align with human rights, advance U.S. foreign policy interests, and avoid enabling human rights violations. These proposed sales fail on all fronts. Even more troubling, Israel is in direct violation of Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act, which prohibits U.S. aid to any country blocking U.S. humanitarian assistance. Israel’s ongoing blockade of aid in Gaza has left thousands of children facing malnutrition and starvation.
SEE: Sanders and Colleagues Move to Block Arms Sales to Israel
SEE: Joint Resolutions of Disapproval under the Arms Export Control Act and Proposed Arms Sales to Israel
“With undeniable proof of Israel’s war crimes and the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid, our government continues to sell billions in offensive weapons to Israel,” said Robert McCaw, CAIR Government Affairs Department Director “This unconscionable support for genocide perpetuates violence and suffering. With the Senate vote next week, we have a critical opportunity to stop these arms sales. Every missile and bullet sent fuels the destruction and deepens our complicity in atrocities against innocent civilians. The American conscience cannot remain indifferent—our silence is enabling devastation.“
CAIR notes that Israel announced it has secured a $8.7 billion military aid package from the United States, aimed at bolstering its ongoing military operations and maintaining a qualitative military edge in the region. The package includes $3.5 billion for immediate wartime procurement and $5.2 billion for advanced air defense systems, such as the Iron Dome and David’s Sling. This aid follows negotiations at the Pentagon between Israeli and U.S. defense officials. It highlights the deep strategic partnership between the two nations and the U.S.’s ongoing complicity in arming and supporting Israel as it commits war crimes and genocide in Gaza.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com