The U.S. Senate once again voted on resolutions yesterday evening blocking certain arms sales to Israel – and in a first, Senator Cory Booker supported them.
He was far from alone in his party; on one of the two resolutions, halting the sale of armored bulldozers, a record 40 out of 47 Democrats voted in favor. That’s a huge shift from similar resolutions that were resoundingly defeated in prior years, though universal Republican opposition meant that the outcome was the same regardless.
Booker, who opposed prior efforts to block arms sales in 2024 and 2025, contextualized his yes vote as an outgrowth of his opposition to the Iran War. Israel has been one of the chief aggressors in the conflict, and Booker said in a statement last night that he does not intend to greenlight weapons sales that might prolong it.
“I am using every tool available to me to stop this war, and do not support more weapons to continue the combat, whether it is to our own government or to one of our closest allies,” he said. “I will always support America having the globe’s preeminent military and defense capabilities, and I will always steadfastly support Israel’s defense and deterrence capabilities. I will not, however, support Trump’s war, and I will continue to take every action to bring it to a swift conclusion.”
Booker’s New Jersey colleague, Andy Kim, also supported both resolutions, though that came as far less of a surprise. Every time Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has forced votes on blocking arms sales to Israel, Kim has voted in favor, in one case being one of just 15 senators to do so.
“We need to work urgently to put an end to the war and instead use taxpayer dollars to address the needs of the American people,” Kim said after last night’s vote. “I don’t support providing the weapons and equipment considered by these [Joint Resolution of Disapproval] votes that would further prolong and perpetuate this illegal and unconstitutional war.”
Though it has not necessarily been a key part of his public image, Kim has emerged as one of Israel’s more consistent critics during his year-and-a-half in the Senate. One pro-Palestine activist’s tracker ranks him as the third-most pro-Palestine senator, and he’s clashed in the past with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the powerful pro-Israel group.
Booker has historically been more of an ally of both Israel and AIPAC, though the latter relationship may be beginning to fray. The senator, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, told Politico last month that he’d reject money from AIPAC (and other PACs); shortly afterwards, AIPAC removed the ability for donors to give to him through their portal, though he retained the group’s endorsement.
