The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta was joined by more than 50 Jewish community organizations and congregations in a Friday letter condemning U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock over their vote last Friday for a Senate resolution that would have blocked future arms sales to Israel.
Both Fetterman and Ossoff both voted for the joint resolution proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for Congress to block a sale of defensive weaponry and services from Israel amid the country’s war against Hamas in Gaza and conflicts with Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. The resolution failed last week with just 18 votes in favor and 79 votes to block it.
The letter, led by the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and supported by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), American-Jewish Committee (AJC), and Atlanta Jewish Community Relations Council (AJCRC), informed the senators they, “are deeply disappointed by your support of Sen. Sanders’ efforts to block weapons transfers to Israel.”
According to the Jewish organizations, the vote by Ossoff (pictured above, left) and Warnock (pictured above, right) shows the senators’ “commitment to Israel’s security is not ironclad; rather it comes at the expense of Israeli defense. It not only emboldens Iran and its proxies, it also stands in sharp contrast to the many expressions of support for Israel you have made.”
They further accused Ossoff and Warnock of voting in a manner contrary to the goals of saving Palestinian lives or freeing hostages held by Hamas, who captured dozens during its brazen October 7 attack on Israeli civilians, but instead “provides cover for those who seek to harm the Jews around the world and further fuels the increase in antisemitism that has been surging in our communities and on college campuses.”
Ultimately, they accused Ossoff and Warnock of making it harder for Israel to bring its war against Hamas to a conclusion.
“We all want this war to end,” the letter read. “Limiting Israel’s ability to vanquish enemies that seek not only its defeat but destruction will prevent that from happening.”
While Ossoff and Warnock received scorn from Jewish groups, the Georgia chapter of the controversial Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Georgia) through a press release confirmed it, “commended Senator Ossoff’s and Senator Warnock’s vote in favor of the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval’s introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Bernie Sanders and others. 19 Senators voted in favor of limiting weapon sales to Israel.”
The group stated, “While the resolution did not pass the Senate, we are grateful for Senators Ossoff’s’ and Warnock’s support for this important attempt to align U.S. arms transfers with U.S. law, international law, and human rights.”
CAIR was designated a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates in 2014 because of its purported ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, though the group has denied the affiliation.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Sen. Jon Ossoff” by Sen. Jon Ossoff and “Sen. Raphael Warnock” by Sen. Raphael Warnock.
