Editorial: Nevada senators do the right thing on Israeli arms vote

Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Apr 22, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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Senate Democrats, led by socialist Bernie Sanders, made an inexplicable push last week to abandon Israel and embolden Iran and its terrorist proxies. Thankfully, they failed — and Nevada’s Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen deserve credit for disregarding the party line.

On Thursday, the upper chamber rejected joint resolutions introduced by Sanders — he of Moscow honeymoon fame — that would have halted the sale of various military equipment to Israel.

A first measure, supported by 40 Democrats, sought to scuttle a $295 million deal involving bulldozers. A second resolution, backed by 36 Democrats, would have blocked the $152 million sale of 12,000 large bombs to the Jewish state.

Both of these transactions had already been consummated.

The votes were Sanders’ attempt to undermine American efforts in the conflict with Iran, which many Democrats oppose. Israel has been a staunch ally of the United States in the war and has been involved in intelligence gathering and air attacks, putting its own service members at risk. Some of the weapons in question, particularly the thousand-pound bombs, could be used by Israel against Iran.

Yet Sanders moved forward out of spite for President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Americans, whether they are Democrats, Republicans or independents,” Sanders opined, “want to see our tax money invested in improving lives here at home — not used to kill innocent women and children in the Middle East and put American troops in harm’s way as part of Netanyahu’s illegal wars of expansion.”

Debate about the Iran war and its aims is part of a healthy democracy. But Sanders comments about Netanyahu and “illegal wars” — apparently directed at Israel’s conflict with Hamas — are ludicrous. Israel didn’t seek out that fight. Instead, the nation went on the offensive only after Hamas, funded by Iran, brutally attacked the Jewish state on Oct. 7, 2023, massacring 1,200 people and kidnapping innocent civilians as part of its campaign to wipe Israel off the map.

Nevada’s two senators, both Democrats, had the common sense to understand how putting the handcuffs on Israel at this moment is hardly in the best interests of the United States. Israel has, over the past 30 months, devastated Iran’s terror surrogates, hammering Hamas and severely crippling Hezbollah. The country played a vital role in helping the United States inflict great damage on Iran’s nuclear sites last year. It has been at America’s side helping the United States diminish Iran’s military capabilities through airstrikes.

Pulling the plug on these weapons sales at a time when Iran is feeling increasing economic heat thanks to the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would do nothing but undercut the American and Israeli campaign and encourage further intransigence from Iran and its terror underlings. Cortez Masto and Rosen should hold their heads high for elevating reality above pandering to the party’s dominant progressive wing.

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