On Thursday, Senate Democrats rejected an amendment put forth by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) with the intention of halting U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority, an entity that exercises authority over portions of the West Bank.
It has been reported that the amendment would have halted aid to the Palestinian Authority or any Palestinian government in the West Bank or Gaza until certain conditions were met, including a formal condemnation of Hamas’ attack on Israel by the Palestinian Authority and the safe return of the hostages held by Hamas.
Congress passed the short-term spending measure on Thursday, which included Paul’s amendment, in order to prevent a government shutdown through March.
In opposition to Paul’s measure were forty-seven Senate Democrats and three independent senators who caucus with the party.
Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) was the only Democrat to cast a vote in support of the amendment; six Republicans abstained from doing so.
The measure, which required sixty ballots to pass, was defeated by a vote of 44-50.
Paul, who consistently opposes U.S. aid to foreign countries, was the only Republican to vote earlier this week in support of a resolution introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) that would have froze U.S. aid to Israel pending a report to Congress within 30 days detailing whether Israel violated human rights during its war against Hamas.
The measure introduced by Sanders was rejected by an overwhelmingly large Senate majority of 72-11.
The Israeli-Hamas conflict, which commenced in retaliation for the terrorist organization’s heinous assault on Israel on October 7, has now spanned over three months.
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