WASHINGTON: US Senator Bernie Sanders has voiced strong opposition to legislation currently under consideration in Congress, arguing that the measure would deepen Israel’s integration into the American military-industrial framework and increase US financial support for the country.
According to reports cited by Al Jazeera, Sanders criticised the proposed legislation in a statement posted on social media platform X, where he accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking alternative mechanisms to secure continued American backing for Israel’s military programmes.
Netanyahu knows Americans are sick of funding Israel’s wars. So now he’s working with Congress to hide military aid inside Pentagon co-production deals.
That means MORE U.S. tax dollars for Israel, with even LESS oversight.
Not gonna happen!
— Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) June 6, 2026
“Netanyahu knows Americans are sick of funding Israel’s wars,” Sanders wrote. “So now he’s working with Congress to hide military aid inside Pentagon co-production deals.”
The independent senator from Vermont contended that the proposal, while being presented by Netanyahu and supporters as a means of reducing direct US assistance to Israel, would in reality have the opposite effect.
Sanders argued that embedding military support within defence manufacturing and co-production arrangements linked to the Pentagon would result in additional American taxpayer money flowing to Israel.
He warned that the legislation could further strengthen defence ties between Washington and Tel Aviv while obscuring the true scale of US financial and military assistance.
Sanders maintained that the measure would effectively expand, rather than curtail, American support for Israel’s military sector, despite claims that it represents a reduction in aid commitments.
Reaffirming his opposition, the senator concluded his remarks with a blunt rejection of the proposal, declaring: “Not gonna happen!” The comments come amid ongoing debate in the United States over military assistance to Israel, defence spending priorities, and Washington’s role in supporting its long-standing ally during a period of heightened regional tensions.
