WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chair of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism, on Wednesday released the following statement after voting in support of the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval on offensive weapons transfers to the Netanyahu government.

“I continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself in the wake of the horrific attacks of October 7th. Since last October, I have consistently supported sending Israel the military aid it needs, totaling more than $18 billion, to ensure that Hamas cannot launch another similar attack. But that funding cannot and should not be a blank check. As with aid to all U.S. partners, there are rules that Israel must comply with – especially regarding the protection of innocent civilians and provision of humanitarian aid. We should make sure that our military aid is being used to pursue a goal shared by the U.S. and Israel – the destruction of Hamas’ military capability – and not a goal that is contrary to U.S. security interests – the destruction of a path to a future Palestinian state.

“The October 13th letter from Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin to their Israeli counterparts detailed over a dozen steps Israel needs to take to stay in compliance with U.S. law. Since October 13th, little progress has been made on any of those items, and many observers note that the humanitarian conditions in Gaza have gotten worse, not better. We should hold Israel to the same standard we hold all our partners. I have consistently called for limitations on arms transfers to other regional partners – like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt – that have not acted in accordance with U.S. law. I do not hold Israel to a different standard. I expect all our aid to be used in accordance with our laws and our security interests.

“Importantly, our joint security objectives – decimating Hamas so that they cannot launch another attack similar to October 7th and the elimination of Hamas leadership – have been achieved. It is not in our shared interest to support military operations that simply feed recruitment material for Hamas to rebuild or serve the interests of those who wish for Gaza to be eliminated as a Palestinian territory. 

“I will never cease being a strong friend of Israel and will continue to support many arms transfers, including defensive systems like Iron Dome. The war aims have been achieved, but innocent people are still dying in Gaza and Lebanon and more than 100 people are still being held hostage so, at this moment, the focus should be on ending the war. Instead, the war continues, suffering increases, and plans are being laid for the permanent end to a two-state future. We must send a message that our laws need to be respected, the wars should come to an end, and a two-state future must be preserved.”

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