72 senators voted to set the resolution aside, surpassing the majority needed to defeat the resolution in the 100-member chamber, while 11 supported it.
Senator Sanders, now an Independent aligned with Democrats who previously ran for U.S. President, had pushed for the vote, highlighting a growing unease among some Democrats, particularly those on the left, regarding the supply of U.S. weapons to Israel amidst the toll on Palestinian civilians during the Gaza conflict.
“We must ensure that US aid is being used in accordance with human rights and our own laws,” Sanders said in a speech on the Senate floor last week urging support for the resolution.
“If you believe that the [bombing] campaign has been indiscriminate, as I do, then we have a responsibility to ask this question. If you believe Israel has done nothing wrong, then this information should support that belief.”
He lamented that the Senate has failed to consider any measure looking at the war’s effect on civilians.
The White House had expressed opposition to the resolution, as it could have led to the imposition of conditions on security assistance to Israel if the State Department failed to provide the required report within 30 days.
Opponents of the measure argued that it conveyed the wrong message, particularly at a time when Israel had indicated a shift towards a more targeted campaign.
Sanders’ resolution was proposed in accordance with the Foreign Assistance Act, which prohibits the US from providing “assistance to any government that engages in a consistent pattern of human rights violations.” Under the Act, the US Congress can request a human rights report and other pertinent information regarding any country receiving U.S. security assistance.
According to Reuters, the U.S. currently provides Israel with $3.8 billion in military aid annually, with President Biden seeking an additional $14 billion from Congress.
The present massive escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict began with a Hamas attack on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,139 Israelis.
As of yesterday, Israel’s war on Gaza perpetuated unrelentingly for the last four months, has claimed the lives of 24,285 people in the Palestinian enclave, mostly women and children, according to Gaza health authorities. The war has also displaced 85% of the strip’s population, according to the UN.