Majority of Senate Democrats Vote to Block Weapons to Israel as Famine Unfolds in Gaza | Palestine Policy Roundup 08.04.25
Welcome to the Palestine Policy Roundup, a weekly publication of the IMEU Policy Project.
👀 ICYMI: MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SPEAK OUT
Sen. Jeff Merkley: “The words ‘killed before first birthday’ appear more than 900 times in this list [of children killed in Gaza, published by the Washington Post]. Children killed playing or sleeping. Children who should have grown up. Israel is starving and bombing Gaza. And the U.S. is complicit because we're sending those bombs and not demanding more aid.”
Sen. Peter Welch: “The Israeli-inflicted starvation of Palestinians in Gaza must end. This bombing campaign, which has killed and wounded tens of thousands of people and destroyed Gaza, must end. We cannot continue to be complicit. History will judge us for not standing up against this humanitarian catastrophe and these war crimes. The United States needs to say: Enough.”
Rep. Summer Lee: “Chris Smalls—a Black American labor leader—was trying to feed Palestinians being starved in Gaza. The IDF detained and beat him for it. This assault must not go unnoticed and he must be freed immediately. Israel must be held to account. Let aid through. End the genocide.”
Rep. Delia Ramirez: “I have a bill that will help end Congress’s complicity in the genocide happening in Gaza. ANYONE who is calling for food to get into Gaza, that the bombing stops, and that lives are saved should cosponsor my Block the Bombs Act. No more excuses.”
Rep. Nydia Velázquez: “Awdah Hathaleen, a teacher, father and activist, was shot & killed by an Israeli settler while standing in his own village. The settler had been sanctioned by the US for violent attacks on Palestinians, but Trump lifted those penalties. His murder is the result of US and Israeli policies that ignore and enable settler violence in the West Bank. He deserves justice.”
DC DEVELOPMENTS
🛑 MAJORITY OF DEMOCRATIC SENATORS VOTE TO BLOCK WEAPONS TO ISRAEL
Last Wednesday, 27 Democratic Senators voted for at least one of two joint resolutions of disapproval (JRDs) brought to the floor by Senator Bernie Sanders to block weapons to Israel. This is historic: one year ago, the Senate had never voted on blocking weapons to Israel; now, a majority of the Democratic Caucus has voted to stop US complicity in Israel’s genocide and deliberate starvation of Palestinians in Gaza.
The historic nature of these votes reflects a significant shift in the opinions that voters–and Democratic voters in particular–have about Israel and its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Just last week, a poll published by Gallup found less than one-third of Americans approve of Israel’s actions in Gaza. It’s even lower among Democratic voters–only 8% approve of Israel's genocidal actions.
The JRDs that were forced to a vote by Sen. Sanders were: S.J.Res.34, which sought to block the delivery of thousands of 1,000-pound bombs and Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits; and S.J.Res.41, which sought to block the delivery of 20,000 fully automatic assault rifles to Israel.
Israel’s deliberate and manufactured starvation of Palestinians in Gaza not only violates international law, but also US law–specifically, Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act– which prohibits the transfer of weapons to countries that obstruct humanitarian aid. These JRDs were the best lever that the Senate had available for complying with the law and preventing the deepening of US complicity in Israel’s genocidal actions.
Israel has extensively used the weapons specified in these JRDs during its genocide in Gaza. A fragment of a JDAM was identified in the aftermath of Israel’s strike on a cafe that killed dozens of Palestinians just over a month ago, and in January 2024 Israel likely used a 1,000-pound bomb to target humanitarian workers in the so-called safe zone of Al-Mawasi.
The rifles that would have been blocked by these JRDs were likely a variation of M4 carbine assault rifles and were part of a weapons shipment that the Biden administration paused. Both the Israeli military and US contractors with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) use M4 rifles. Since late May, more than 850 Palestinians have been killed by Israel, militias armed by Israel, and by unaccountable US mercenaries at or near GHF distribution sites.
This strong show of support for blocking further weapons to Israel sends a strong message of opposition to the Trump administration’s full support of Israel’s starvation of Palestinians and flagrant violations of the law.
✂️ 21 SENATORS CALL FOR END TO US SUPPORT FOR GAZA HUMANITARIAN FOUNDATION AS POSSIBLE WAR CRIMES REVEALED
Last week, 21 Senators led by Peter Welch and Chris Van Hollen sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio that called for the US to end its support for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), asked why the GHF received funding from the US despite near-daily massacres of Palestinians by the Israeli military and US contractors at the sites, and urged support for a return to United Nations aid distribution mechanisms.
As the letter states, the GHF received $30 million in funding from the State Department despite “critical concerns” about the funding raised by USAID staff. Reportedly, Rubio and DOGE associate Jeremy Lewin, who now serves as the Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, fast-tracked GHF’s application for funding from USAID despite it missing crucial information that is required for approval.
The letter also cites massacres of Palestinians by the Israeli military and US contractors as part of its concerns. In June, just one month into the GHF’s operations, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israeli soldiers deliberately fired at Palestinians at the sites. After the letter was published, new reporting by whistleblower Anthony Aguilar and Human Rights Watch provided more evidence of possible war crimes committed by the Israeli military and US contractors at GHF sites.
On Friday, a report published by Human Rights Watch concluded that Israel’s routine massacres of Palestinians at the sites amount to war crimes and violations of international law. The report also found that Israel’s obstruction of aid amounts to the crime against humanity of extermination and acts of genocide.
The report drew extensively from testimony and evidence provided by Anthony Aguilar, a US Army Special Forces veteran who worked as a security contractor for the GHF. Aguilar corroborated Haaretz’s reporting of Israeli soldiers deliberately shooting at Palestinians seeking food, as well as the eyewitness testimonies of countless Palestinians. He also provided further evidence of US contractors using less lethal munitions, such as pepper spray and stun grenades, and live ammunition against Palestinians seeking food at GHF sites. Last month US contractors made similar allegations and provided photos and videos to the Associated Press.
🔑 KEY TAKEAWAY: In an interview with the podcast UnXeptable, Aguilar recounted an attack on Palestinians seeking food: “This young boy, Amir, walked up to me, barefoot and wearing tattered clothes that hung off his emaciated body. He walked 12km to get there, and when he got there, he thanked us for the remnants and the small crumbs that he got. He set them down on the ground, because I was kneeling at this point, and he sets his food down, and he places his hands on my face, on the side of my face, on my cheeks, these frail, skeleton, emaciated hands - dirty - and he puts them on my face, and he kissed me. He kissed me, and he said thank you in English, thank you. And he collected his items, and he walked back to the group. Then he was shot at with pepper spray, tear gas, stun grenades and bullets shot at his feet [and then] in the air, and he runs away scared, and the IDF were shooting at the crowd. They're shooting into this crowd and Palestinians - civilians, human beings - are dropping to the ground, getting shot. And Amir was one of them."
Aguilar also reported that the amount of aid the GHF can provide per day in Gaza is equivalent to just 60 trucks–far from the amount needed as Palestinians starve from Israel’s near-total blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid. Corroborating reports by Palestinians, he described the sites as “a free-for-all” that often leaves Palestinians without food and noted that vulnerable Palestinians such as the elderly resorted to “sifting through the dirt for scraps like individual beans.”
Both the letter and the report came just before Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee participated in what has been described as a PR stunt by visiting a GHF site on Friday. Palestinian journalist Osama Abu Rabee reported to Drop Site News that Israeli snipers and tanks were withdrawn from the area and food distribution was limited to select families. Still, at least three Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military near the site.
IN THE NEWS
📊 POLL: SUPPORT FOR PALESTINIAN RIGHTS WAS AN ASSET FOR MAMADANI IN PRIMARY VICTORY
Last Tuesday, IMEU Policy Project published a poll that found that New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory in the primary was spurred by his support for Palestinian rights and that voters overwhelmingly agreed with his stances.
The poll found that New York City Democratic primary voters strongly supported Palestinian rights and were highly critical of Israel: 78% say Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, 79% support restricting weapons to Israel, and 63% support arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York City. This follows countless polls that have demonstrated that the base of the Democratic Party is increasingly supportive of Palestinian rights and opposed to further US support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Mamdani’s support for Palestinian rights mobilized new voters: 83% of new voters who voted for Mamdani cited his support for Palestinian rights as a motivating factor. Among all Mamdani voters, this was the third-most cited factor that swayed their vote (62%). Additionally, 35% of new voters named reducing US support for Israel as a factor in their vote
Looking ahead, the poll found that voters would be more likely to support a candidate in the June 2026 Democratic primary if they supported the Block the Bombs Act (72%) and declined to take a trip to Israel (60%). These findings have major implications for the Democratic Party as it seeks to mount a challenge to the Trump administration in the 2026 midterm elections.
As Democrats look ahead to challenging the extremist MAGA agenda in 2026 and 2028, the success of the Mamdani campaign–and his support for Palestinian rights in particular–should serve as a blueprint for a successful strategy that meets the demands of the Democratic base and energizes new support.
PALESTINE/ISRAEL DEVELOPMENTS
🍏 GLOBAL HUNGER PANEL: FAMINE IS UNFOLDING IN GAZA
Last Tuesday, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) hunger monitor warned that “The worst-case scenario of Famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip” as a result of Israel’s large-scale invasion and near-total blockade of the entry of humanitarian aid.
The IPC report calls for immediate action to end Israel’s attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and allow for an unimpeded, large-scale flow of aid into the area in order to prevent mass death by starvation. Members of Congress can heed this call by using their oversight authority over weapons transfers to immediately stop all weapons deliveries to Israel and by cosponsoring HR3565, the Block the Bombs Act.
The report states that one in three Palestinians is going without food for days at a time, and that more than 20,000 children have been admitted for acute malnutrition between April and mid-July. It also warned that increasing levels of food deprivation and severe malnutrition are driving Palestinians in Gaza dangerously close to mass death caused by Israel’s deliberate and manufactured starvation. The report warns that the situation in Gaza City is “extremely critical” as 16.5% of children are malnourished–an increase of 12% since May.
The report concludes that the trickle of aid allowed into Gaza is insufficient to meet the needs of Palestinians who Israel has starved since March. It also notes that Israel’s restriction of the entry of fuel and Palestinians’ lack of access to clean water also contribute to the mass starvation in Gaza because much of the food Palestinians receive is not ready to eat.
This latest report follows a previous report published by the panel in May which warned that all Palestinians in Gaza were projected to face “crisis” levels of hunger or worse, with nearly a quarter of them facing “catastrophic” levels of hunger. That report warned that a continuation of Israel’s blockade and attacks would result in the mass starvation that is occurring in Gaza.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, nearly 170 Palestinians–including nearly 100 children–have been starved to death by Israel’s obstruction of aid as of Saturday. This mass starvation campaign has been deliberately engineered by Israel, which has obstructed the entry of nearly all aid into Gaza since March 2. Israel has also killed nearly 1,400 Palestinians seeking food at sites operated by the GHF and along the routes of food convoys.
🏠 ISRAELI SETTLERS KILL AWDAH HATHALEEN AND AN AMERICAN CITIZEN, MORE AMERICANS DETAINED BY ISRAELI MILITARY
Last Tuesday, Awdah Hathaleen–a Palestinian activist who dedicated his life to protecting communities in Masafer Yatta and whose work was featured in the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land–was shot and killed, allegedly by Israeli settler Yinon Levi, during an attack on his community in the West Bank.
In addition to being an activist, Hathaleen was also an English teacher and the father of three children, including a seven-month-old child. Hathaleen’s work was internationally recognized, and in June he and his cousin were denied entry and deported from the United States despite having valid visas for a speaking tour.
Yinon Levi, the Israeli settler who is accused of killing Hathaleen, has been sanctioned by the European Union, the UK, France, and Canada, and was also sanctioned by the Biden administration last year due to his involvement in settler attacks against Palestinians. The sanctions imposed under President Biden were canceled when President Trump lifted all sanctions on Israeli settlers on his first day in office this year.
While an Israeli court released Levi to house arrest, Hathaleen’s family was detained by the Israeli military–allegedly at the direction of Levi. An American nurse who attempted to save Hathaleen was also detained at the scene, and was later deported. Eyewitnesses report that during the attack, Americans attempted to help injured Palestinians but were detained by the Israeli military.
The Israeli military is refusing to give Hathaleen’s body back to his community and is demanding that they agree to conditions on his burial. These conditions include not burying him in his home community, which he was defending when he was killed, and limiting his funeral to only 15 participants. In response, more than 60 Palestinian women are staging a hunger strike to demand the unconditional release of his body.
Settler violence against Palestinians has continued to escalate across the West Bank. An Israeli settler arson attack on Silwad killed Khamis Ayyad, an American citizen, who died of smoke inhalation caused by the arson. According to eyewitnesses, the Israeli military fired tear gas and live ammunition toward Palestinian residents after the settlers attacked. Ayyad is the second American citizen to be killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank this summer–in July, settlers brutally beat and killed Sayfollah Musallet in Sinjil.
The Israeli military also continues to detain an American citizen from Florida, who is also a cousin of Sayfollah Musallet. Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old Palestinian-American teenager, has been detained by the Israeli military for six months. He was reportedly detained during an Israeli military raid on his family’s home. Ibrahim’s family reports that he is suffering from severe weight loss and scabies while in Israeli custody.
US Consular officials reportedly were unable to see him in July. Ibrahim’s family is demanding that the US intervene to ensure his freedom.
Photo: Mark Reinstein, via Shutterstock. Stock Photo ID: 1186368265