The U.S. Senate yesterday voted down three resolutions that would have blocked additional arms transfers to Israel. Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz was among 17 Democrats who voted for at least one of the resolutions.

Although the resolutions didn’t pass, they had political import.

This is an excerpt from an article in Forward, an independent Jewish, which describes itself as delivering “coverage of the issues, ideas and institutions that matter to American Jews.”

“Its rigorous reporting and balanced commentary on politics, arts and culture have won numerous awards year after year, including repeated recognition by the Society of Professional Journalists,” according to the publication’s website.

Why the Senate vote on Israel matters

A few years ago, this level of support for even modest restrictions on arms sales to Israel would have been unthinkable. Wednesday’s vote, supported by some liberal Jewish organizations, signaled that there is growing concern about the policies of the Israeli government and highlighted a willingness among Democrats to challenge the historically bipartisan consensus on unconditional support for Israel amid the war in Gaza.

This shift also reflects increasing frustration with President Joe Biden. Progressive Democrats have criticized Biden for not doing enough to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and accused his administration of providing Netanyahu’s government with a “blank check” despite growing concerns about human rights violations. Pro-Palestinian activists and leaders of the ceasefire movement have called in recent months for a full arms embargo.

A recent pre-election poll showed that 62% of Jewish voters were open to supporting the U.S. withholding the shipment of some weapons to achieve an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

J Street, the liberal pro-Israel, pro-peace lobby, encouraged senators to support at least one of the resolutions to send a message of disapproval. The group called the outcome “a symbolic but deeply meaningful” vote “toward a relationship in which the US can hold Israel accountable for its actions and its use of the weapons we provide in the same way we enforce US laws for all other recipients of U.S. security assistance.”

I sent a comment to Senator Schatz’s office commending his active support for the resolutions. I received his substantive and thoughtful reply by mid-afternoon Hawaii time.

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