Senator Murray Statement on Voting Against Sanders Arms Sales Resolutions

Washington DC - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) issued the following statement on her vote against the three Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRD) sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) that would block the sale of certain weapons to Israel:

“I have been clear on the need for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, the immediate release of the remaining hostages, and a surge in humanitarian aid to reach innocent civilians in Gaza. I remain strongly opposed to Israeli military conduct that has led to staggering numbers of civilian casualties, the lack of access for desperately needed aid to civilians, and the concerning rise in violence in the West Bank.

“I have long been a steadfast supporter of our security assistance to Israel, and as the Chair of the Appropriations Committee I have worked tirelessly on this—particularly following the horrific terrorist attack on October 7^th. I have also, throughout my career, argued that the assistance we provide to all our partners must be used consistent with U.S. and international law, including with respect to minimizing civilian casualties. That is not only legally and morally necessary but is important strategically. That basic principle must apply to Israel, the same as everybody else—I continue to hold this belief and that is why I authored and included language to do just that in the government funding bills I passed out of committee.

“I still strongly believe that too often during this conflict, the Netanyahu government has undermined those interests through their failure to minimize civilian casualties and improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance—and I continue to make my concerns clear to both the Biden administration and Netanyahu government that much more needs to be done.

“I did not take this vote lightly—the war in Gaza needs to end, the hostages need to come home, and we need to see a massive influx of aid reach desperate civilians in the region. I do not believe these resolutions would help accomplish these goals and could possibly endanger more innocent civilians, embolden terrorist groups and Iran, and prolong this awful war—and for these reasons, I voted no.”

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