To cut off arms sales to Israel is to cut off American influence over Israel
The seven Democratic US senators who did not pledge to cut off arms sales to Israel retain influence over Israeli policy.
Not so Sen. Bernie Sanders and 40 Democratic followers. By undercutting Israel’s capacity to defend itself, just how did they figure they could influence Israeli policy?
Did they think that Israel would not redouble its efforts to manufacture its own weapons, independent of American wishes and manufacturers?
Did they think their protestations over Israeli policy would be heard in Jerusalem?
Did they think they would win friends and influence Israel’s supporters in the US?
Did they think that what they took to be a moral stance would not be joyfully embraced by anti-Semites as proof that Israel is wicked?
Did they think that if Israel sold weapons to countries they do not favor that Israel would pay attention to their concerns?
Did they think that they would advance their solution to the Palestinian issue — a two-state solution —by telling Israel that it should face atrocities by Hamas and missiles from Iran on its own?
Did they think that Israel’s determination to disarm Hamas and defeat Hezbollah would change?
Did they see the confirmation they extend to those Americans who celebrate or “understand” the Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7?
Did they think that the American economy would benefit from fewer purchases of American-made weapons by Israel?
Do they think that Israel’s unwavering commitment to share intelligence with the US, which benefits American security, would remain the same?
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All these questions indicate the short-sidedness of the 40 US senators from an American point of view. Do they see an Israeli point of view?
Do they think that Israel is paranoid for responding militarily to Iranian missile fire on their country?
Do they honestly think that Israel prefers war over peace?
Do they think that Israel’s leaders wish to send their citizen soldiers into battle?
Do they think that Israel should sit quietly by when Iran — roughly 75 times larger than Israel — threatens to wipe out Israel?
Do they understand the mindset of a tiny country?
Do they understand the mindset of living in a violent “neighborhood?”
Do they consider the effect of Israel’s size on the Israel’s military mentality of Israel’s size — Israel’s 8,822 square miles vs. Iran’s 636,372 square miles? (Colorado alone is 12 times larger than Israel.)
Do they consider the effect on the Israeli mentality of living cheek by jowl with a Palestinian Authority that financially rewards murderers of Israel civilians?
Do the senators calculate the effect of their pledge to withhold weapons sales on the “cynicism quotient” of the nation of Israel that produces lifesaving medical advances which, in all probability, many of these senators have benefitted from?
Do they realize that Israel is more likely to act on the death of some 30,000 Iranian protesters because Israel knows all too viscerally the truth of: “When your enemy says he wants to destroy you, believe him the first time”?
Do they understand Israel’s profound national trauma caused by the Hamas murders, decapitations, rapes, body burnings and abductions of Oct. 7? Do they understand that Oct. 7 changed Israel forever? Do they understand that the new Israel far is far larger than the habits of Prime Minister Netanyahu?
Do they understand that there is no expiration to the pain brought on Israel by Oct. 7?
Do they realize that Israel listens with different ears now, indifferent to political preachers who do not understand, or who do not want to understand, what Oct. 7 did to Israel’s national fear quotient?
Do they understand that their pledge not to sell weapons to Israel confirms to Israel that its very existence is not valued?
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We note here the seven Democratic senators who did not pledge to withhold arms sales to Israel:
• Richard Blumenthal (Conn.)
• Chris Coons (Delaware)
• Catherine Cortez Masto (NM)
• John Fetterman (Penn.)
• Kirstin Gillibrand (New York)
• Jackie Rosen (Nevada)
• Chuck Schumer (New York)
Four Democratic senators voted against the motion to block bomb sales but in favor of the motion to block the sale of bulldozers: Gary Peters (Mich.), Jack Reed (RI), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
Israel bulldozes the homes of terrorists. Do terrorists live a couple of miles away from these four senators’ homes and plot their deaths? Do these senators grasp the security implication of terrorists living next door?
Thank you to the seven senators who did not pledge to block arms sales to Israel. Thank you for your moral clarity and your political courage. As readers have surely noted, neither of Colorado’s senators — Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper — joined the seven Democratic dissenters. Do Colorado’s senators really want to be guided by Sen. Bernie Sanders’ lights?
© IJN 2026
