(ATLANTA, GA, 11/21/2024) – The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Georgia), the local chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization (CAIR), today commended Senator Ossoff’s and Senator Warnock’s vote in favor of the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval’s introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Bernie Sanders and others. 19 Senators voted in favor of limiting weapon sales to Israel.
The resolutions were introduced to limit arms transfers to Israel, citing the Biden administration has failed to enforce U.S. laws governing weapons transfers for more than a year.
These weapons to Israel 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 in the past several weeks.
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. Arms transfers to Israel fail on all these fronts.
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.
U.S. law gives Congress the right to halt major foreign weapons sales by passing resolutions of disapproval. The law requires the Senate to vote if a resolution is filed.
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
While the resolution did not pass the Senate, we are grateful for Senators Ossoff’s’ and Warnock’s support for this important attempt to align U.S. arms transfers with U.S. law, international law, and human rights.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: Nazia Khanzada, CAIR-Georgia Communications Manager, [email protected], (404)-239-2086, Megan Gordon, CAIR-Georgia Policy Director, [email protected], 470-851-3434