WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to table controversial Resolution 504 but not before Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, expressed qualified support for the measure’s intent to shed light on potential human rights violations and the use of U.S. military weapons in Gaza.

What You Need To Know

  • The resolution, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., would have called on the state department to provide a report on possible Israeli human rights violations and the United States’ role in ongoing Israeli military actions in Gaza

  • It would also have called for the secretary of state to disclose steps the United States took to distance itself from such violations and certify that it had not assisted Israeli forces implicated in human rights violations

  • Schatz said he was unable to participate in Tuesday’s vote due to an “unavoidable absence” but would have voted in favor of motions to advance the resolution and the legislative vehicle for the continuing resolution

  • The measure faced stiff resistance from senators on both sides of the aisle who argued that it would undermine the United States’ relationship with Israel and send a mixed message about U.S. commitment to eliminating the threat posed by Hamas

The resolution, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., would have called on the state department to provide a report on possible Israeli human rights violations and the United States’ role in ongoing Israeli military actions in Gaza. It would also have called for the secretary of state to disclose steps the United States took to distance itself from such violations and certify that it had not assisted Israeli forces implicated in human rights violations.

Schatz said he was unable to participate in Tuesday’s vote due to an “unavoidable absence” but would have voted in favor of motions to advance the resolution and the legislative vehicle for the continuing resolution.

The Senate voted to table resolution, essentially killing it, on a 72-11 vote.

“I believe this resolution is a blunt instrument for a very complex debate about the war in Gaza,” Schatz said. “But it is so far the only available avenue to register our concerns with both the Israeli government’s conduct of the war—which has resulted in over 24,000 civilian casualties—and the undermining of congressional oversight around arms transfers. For that reason, I would have voted in favor of discharging it from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for debate on the floor.

Schatz emphasized the need for an end to the ongoing conflict and argued in favor of a supplemental package that includes continued aid for Ukraine.

“This war has now been raging for over 100 days since Hamas brutally attacked Israel and kidnapped scores of hostages, over 100 of whom are still being held captive, Schatz said. “I continue to hope for the safe return of all hostages and an urgent end to civilian deaths. In the meantime, here in Congress, I hope we can move forward with a supplemental package that includes aid for the defense of Israel and humanitarian relief for Palestinians, as well as critical assistance for our allies in Ukraine and Taiwan.”

While Sanders and other supporters said Resolution 504 was reasonable given the scale of civilian casualties and the worsening of overall conditions in Gaza, the measure faced stiff resistance from senators on both sides of the aisle who argued that it would undermine the United States’ relationship with Israel and send a mixed message about U.S. commitment to eliminating the threat posed by Hamas.

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, was among the 11 senators who voted against tabling the resolution.