WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews)-The U.S. Senate on Wednesday soundly rejected radical efforts by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to block critical American arms sales to Israel, as the Jewish state continues to defend itself against Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and other existential threats.

Despite the failure of the measures, a troubling 85% of Senate Democrats — 40 out of 47 — voted in favor of one of Sanders’ resolutions, signaling a disturbing shift within the Democratic Party away from strong bipartisan support for Israel’s security.

Sanders introduced two joint resolutions of disapproval targeting a $295 million sale of armored bulldozers and a $152 million sale of 1,000-pound bombs. The Senate voted 40-59 against advancing the bulldozer resolution and 36-63 against the bomb measure. Every Republican opposed the efforts to hamstring Israel.

The Vermont socialist, who caucuses with Democrats, has repeatedly used such symbolic votes to attack Israel and pressure lawmakers amid the ongoing war sparked by Hamas’ barbaric October 7, 2023 massacre and subsequent Iranian-backed aggression.

“These weapons are essential for Israel to protect its citizens from terrorist groups that seek its destruction,” supporters of the sales argued. Israel faces daily threats from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranian regime, which has openly called for the annihilation of the Jewish state.

The resolutions were purely symbolic and faced inevitable defeat in the Republican-led Senate. No recent congressional attempt to block arms sales to Israel has succeeded, reflecting broad recognition of the U.S.-Israel alliance as vital to American interests in the Middle East.

Several Democrats who have historically supported Israel joined Sanders in voting to restrict arms, raising concerns among pro-Israel advocates about eroding support within the party. Opponents of the resolutions stressed that withholding defensive equipment from Israel would only embolden its enemies.

The votes come as Israel continues operations to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, counter Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon and neutralize threats from Iran following recent escalations.

Pro-Israel leaders welcomed the Senate’s rejection of the measures, viewing it as affirmation of America’s commitment to its closest ally in the region at a time of grave peril.