November 21, 2024- Yesterday evening, the Senate voted on three Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRD) that would block the sale of certain weapons to Israel, including systems such as Joint Direct Attack Munitions and 120mm tank rounds, both of which have been used in ways that are contrary to US law.

For the very first time, 19 Senators voted for conditioning our military aid to Israel to ensure that it is only used in ways that align with our policies and our values. Americans for Peace Now was proud to support these important resolutions and is grateful to the sponsors, Senators Sanders, Welch, Merkley, and Schatz for their leadership and to the additional Senators who voted in favor of them last night.

Americans for Peace Now’s Director of Government Relations, Madeleine Cereghino, said: “The weapons in question are responsible for extensive civilian casualties including strikes on schools, hospitals and refugee camps. With a groundbreaking number of Senators opposing these arms sales, last night’s vote sent a clear message of disapproval regarding Israel’s conduct in Gaza. This is a matter of our values. The US cannot credibly champion peace and human rights while sending Israel the weapons they are using to perpetuate the war in Gaza in violation of US and international law.”

Today, 184 Members of Congress voted to reject HR 9495, a remarkable shift from just 11 opposing the bill when it was previously considered in the spring. This dangerous bill would grant unprecedented power to the president and Treasury Department to silence dissent by targeting nonprofit organizations. Under this bill, the Treasury Secretary could arbitrarily label any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip it of its tax-exempt status.

With an incoming administration that has threatened to punish political opposition, this bill would grant President Trump and the executive branch the ability to effectively shut down any tax-exempt organization — including news media, universities, and civil liberties organizations.

Hadar Susskind, President and CEO of APN, said: “HR 9495 will do nothing to help get the hostages out of Gaza and it will do nothing to stop terror. What it will do is empower the incoming President who speaks openly about his 'enemies lists' and about taking revenge on his political opponents. Palestinian and other Arab American groups are at the front of this horrible line, but Jews and others will be next. We will continue to stand up against this political purge and for a free civil society.”