Let's get into our next story. Which does not make me happy, actually makes me pretty furious, but I think it's worth knowing what Joe Biden's real priorities are. The United States of America is complicit in these atrocities. [00:00:15] That complicity must end, and that is what these resolutions are about. It is time to tell the Netanyahu government that they cannot use US taxpayer dollars and American weapons, in violation of US and international law, [00:00:33] and in violation of our moral values. And every member of the US Senate who believes in the rule of law should vote for these resolutions. That was Senator Bernie Sanders doing what he does best, attempting to get the [00:00:54] US government to stop sending offensive weaponry to the government of Israel, which has in fact been carrying out war crimes and atrocities in the Gaza Strip, in the West Bank. And now there are civilians getting killed in Lebanon [00:01:11] as residential buildings are being bombed and destroyed in the capital of Beirut. Now, today, the Senate will vote on Bernie's resolutions to stop sending offensive weaponry to Israel. It could block about $20 billion worth of arms sales to Israel, [00:01:30] and the measure, known as the as joint resolutions of disapproval, seek to stop six tranches of arms sales to Israel, including guided bombs and kits, tank shells, mortars, tactical vehicles [00:01:45] and F-15 aircraft and parts. So here's more from Bernie on why he's bringing these measures forward. The United States cannot provide weaponry to countries that violate Internationally recognized human rights or block US humanitarian aid. [00:02:06] According to the United Nations, much of the international community and every humanitarian organization on the ground in Gaza, Israel is clearly in violation of these laws, according to very recent UN reports. [00:02:22] Quote, the situation unfolding in north Gaza is apocalyptic. The entire population in north Gaza is at imminent risk of dying, of dying from disease, famine and violence. [00:02:37] End of quote. But what makes it even more painful is that much of what is happening there has been done with US weapons and with American taxpayer support. [00:02:54] So these resolutions have the backing of other senators. I want to give them credit, including Peter Welch, Jeff Merkley, Brian Schatz, Elizabeth Warren, Tim Kaine, and Chris Van Hollen. They even have the backing of a pro-Israel lobby, J Street. [00:03:11] It is a little more left leaning, but nonetheless, they were very gung ho in supporting Israel. After October 7th, but now J Street to Biden administration, time to withhold some U.S. Weapons to Israel for continuing to block humanitarian assistance to Gaza. [00:03:28] And I want to remind you all the Biden administration gave Israel 30 days to comply with their demands, with our government's demands to allow humanitarian aid, 350 trucks a day into the Gaza Strip to help the starving civilian population there. [00:03:48] They did not meet that standard after 30 days. And what did the Biden administration do? Continue supporting Israel and showing unwavering commitment to their efforts in just destroying the Gaza Strip there. [00:04:03] By the way, there. I have to get this off my chest because it drives me crazy whenever we're talking about the incoming Trump administration. And Jake makes the point about how he's going to let them annex the West Bank. They've been annexing the West Bank. It's happening under Biden's watch. [00:04:20] Okay. It infuriates me that people think that like, oh, Biden's so much better than Trump on this issue. No, they're both garbage on this issue. They're both garbage on this issue. Biden has stood there and allowed all of these atrocities to happen. [00:04:37] And I just I want to make sure that people blame him for it, because this is all happened under his watch. He's the president of the United States. And the reason why I'm particularly furious in regard to this story is because these resolutions were going to fail anyway. [00:04:54] They were going to fail, John. Okay. There aren't enough senators who are going to approve this. And besides which, you think the House is going to approve it, the House isn't going to approve it. But the white House stepped in anyway and essentially put out a, you know, a statement not not on white House letterhead, probably because [00:05:13] of how embarrassing it is making clear. No, we don't we don't want the Senate passing this. Okay. We're firmly on Israel's side regardless of what they do. So so anyway, I'll get to that statement in a minute, [00:05:28] but I want you to jump in first, John. Yeah. I mean, I totally agree with your frustration about both Biden's, you know, past on this as well as the needless jumping in to remind everyone of how little they care about what's actually happening there. [00:05:43] You know, coupled with there's obviously the UN Security Council vote. The US vetoed the call for the ceasefire. It's just on again and on and on and on. We're so many months into this, so much devastation. I mean, it was maybe one thing when people were warning about how bad it's going to get, but now we're months past. [00:05:59] Yeah. No, it was that bad and worse. It's absolutely devastating. They don't care. They're not going to learn. I probably would place myself. I mean, I don't know, I'm only hearing what Genk has said from you. I have not heard him talk about that. I'd probably place myself somewhere between you two. [00:06:15] I agree with you that Biden. They're staring. They're annexing it right now. They're literally doing it right now. I mean, there's definitely there's theoretically a speed component to it. Like, I think there's garbage is a is a wide term. I think there are different severities of garbage. [00:06:31] Theoretically. Because Biden hypothetically could not be trash. He always holds out the possibility that maybe he won't be trash. He's never actually made good on that. No, no, he is trash. On this issue. He is trash. I am not going to give Biden even a little bit of an opportunity [00:06:48] to launder his reputation on this issue. - No, no, I'm. - Not laundering his reputation. I'm saying that I just I think I have the imagination to imagine how Donald Trump could indeed be worse and that whatever small limitations there might be on the IDF's comfort in [00:07:04] doing whatever it is that they're doing, I think, I think, I think we are good. Well, look, maybe in three months we'll be able to look and see, but I have a feeling that it is going to get worse. Well, there's not much. - Left. - For it to get worse on. No, there isn't much left. [00:07:20] So let me ask you something because I am curious. You say you'd be in between me and Jake on this, right? Okay, fine. What has Biden done to hinder Israel's government or the IDF? Or say no to Israel? [00:07:36] Like, really? Say no. I'm not talking about the strongly worded letters. Right. What has he done to hinder Israel in any way that Donald Trump would not hinder? I mean, I don't think that Donald Trump would care to hinder, even hypothetically. I don't think he cares at all. Okay. [00:07:52] That's fair. That's fair. Yeah. So what about well, with with Joe Biden theoretically there is generally, outside of the Israeli case, some sort of appreciation of, you know, the rules of engagement and war crimes, which means that Israel could at least [00:08:08] have a concern that maybe there could be consequences for what they do. Whether there actually ever are or not, I don't think that they would have even that hypothetical concern under Donald Trump. Under Biden, you have had some funding and aid, albeit usually in slapstick fashion, [00:08:24] provided to the Palestinian people. I don't think that that would exist under Donald Trump. I mean, it might come in the form of like a doc that just blows away into the ocean or whatever, but at least there was an attempt to drop some aid or something. I don't think that that would exist. And I think there has been at least some attempt to limit the type of arms, [00:08:44] like maybe cluster bombs or white phosphorus or something like that. There has been that. He paused shipments of 2,000 pound bombs briefly and then. Yeah, sent them again. - But I'm. - Not saying there's much. Trump on this issue. Okay. I don't think the Israeli government is concerned one bit. [00:09:01] Under Biden, one bit. - Yes. - They preferred see. They preferred Donald Trump, probably because they don't want to get the strongly worded letters, but they don't actually fear the strongly worded letters clearly, because they continue to carry out more and more atrocities. [00:09:16] The comparative analysis is stupid because they're both awful on this issue. And I just don't want to, you know, uphold Biden as like somehow better when over the last year he has overseen, aided and abetted some of the worst atrocities I've seen in my lifetime. [00:09:32] So with that in mind, I disagree. Russia has killed like over 11,000 civilians in Ukraine. Awful. What Russia is doing with their invasion in stealing land from Ukraine is totally wrong. And I'm not justifying it. Okay, but how is it that Russia is thought of as like America's number one enemy [00:09:53] over what they're doing? But our precious ally Israel has killed over 42,000 people in Gaza alone. Alone? But we keep sending them 2,000 pound bombs. How does that make any sense? Make it make sense? [00:10:09] I can only speak for myself in saying that. I condemn both of those. Yes, that's what I want. That's all I want. That is all I want. Okay, so with that in mind, let's talk about what the Biden administration sent over to the Senate. So as I mentioned, you know, according to Huffington Post, the [00:10:26] white House sent this document to multiple Democratic Senate offices on Tuesday. And here's how it reads. Disapproving arms purchases for Israel at this moment would put wind in the sails of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas at the worst possible moment. [00:10:44] I want to be clear that Bernie said absolutely nothing about halting defensive weaponry to Israel. He's specifically talking about offensive weaponry, but okay. They try to argue that sending even more offensive weapons would actually [00:11:00] help end the war in Gaza and Lebanon. I mean, come on, they right now is the time to focus pressure on Hamas to release the hostages. What are the hostages even alive at this point? Are we really are they going to continue pretending like they give a damn about the hostages? [00:11:17] They don't care about the hostages. Israel's government doesn't care about the hostages. The US government doesn't care about the hostages. If you cared about the hostages, you wouldn't be supplying the bombs that have obliterated the Gaza Strip and very likely killed some of those hostages. [00:11:32] Okay, but let me continue and stop the war. Cutting off arms from Israel would put this goal even further out of reach and prolong the war. The document also repeats the talking point that Hamas can stop the war tomorrow by simply releasing the hostages now in Lebanon. [00:11:49] The document adds a prospective truce is only possible because of the military pressure Hezbollah is under. These resolutions are particularly untimely and counterproductive as we are working to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon, it reads, saying a vote against American weapons for Israel [00:12:06] would jeopardize those talks. Yeah, I think what they're more concerned about is jeopardizing what's in the best interests of the weapons manufacturers, who are also bribing the hell out of our politicians and, you know, egging them on to aid and abet a war on. [00:12:22] Honestly, at this point, civilians. Okay, I'm not buying the oh, this is a war against Hamas, especially when you hear some of the comments from members of the Israeli government in regard to Palestinian civilians, especially when you see the ratio of militants who have been killed to the [00:12:37] number of civilians who have been killed. Bernie Sanders preemptively pushed back against the White House's arguments that the resolutions emboldened terrorists. In a Washington Post op ed on Monday, he knew what was going to come from the Biden administration. He writes. You do not effectively combat terrorism by starving thousands of innocent children [00:12:56] you do not effectively combat terrorism by bombing schools and hospitals. You do not effectively combat terrorism by turning virtually the entire world against your country. And notably, the document the white House circulated to these Democratic senators [00:13:13] was not an official statement of administration policy, or SAP, as it's called, which is typically what's sent when the white House issues guidance on legislation. The fact that they didn't send a formal SAP is a sign that they are too ashamed [00:13:31] to put these arguments on white House letterhead, and they should be. It's embarrassing. This is Biden's legacy. - He's a piece of garbage over this issue. - Hey, thanks for watching the video. 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