The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected proposals to block arms sales to Israel, but the vote exposed an unprecedented divide within the Democratic Party over American military aid to the Jewish state. A record 40 Democratic senators supported halting the sale of armored bulldozers to Israel, while 36 backed stopping shipments of heavy bombs.The deals in question are valued at $446.8 million and include the sale of D9 bulldozers worth $295 million and 12,000 heavy bombs, each weighing 450 kilograms, worth $151.8 million.3 View gallery D9 bulldozer operates in Gaza (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Jewish Democrat, led the effort to block the arms sales. His proposals were defeated 59-40 on the bulldozers and 63-36 on the bombs. However, the number of Democrats supporting the measures has doubled compared to Sanders’ previous attempts over the past two years.In a similar vote last summer, only 23 Democrats supported the move, and in 2024 the proposals received backing from as few as 19 senators. Today, roughly three-quarters of the Democratic caucus in the Senate supports restricting arms sales to Israel.The growing Democratic support for canceling the deals stems from dissatisfaction within the party with the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, as well as the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. Supporters of the measures argued that the Senate should halt the transfer of new weapons to Israel, claiming they are intended to support the war against Tehran. They further argued that President Donald Trump launched that war in coordination with Netanyahu without congressional approval, a move they say most Americans oppose. The Trump administration declared a state of emergency to bypass Congress and expedite the transfer of the bombs to Israel.3 View gallery Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Jewish Democrat, led the effort to block the arms sales (Photo: Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images North America/ AFP)Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said ahead of the vote that “If we want to rein in a Trump administration that launched an illegal war against Iran, we should also rein in the Netanyahu administration that's doing exactly the same thing with American taxpayer dollars.”Several Democratic senators who had previously opposed limiting arms sales to Israel shifted their positions and voted in favor of the current measures. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona said “reckless decisions” by Trump and Netanyahu led him to change his stance. “Under Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government, we’ve seen an expanded war in Lebanon that is putting innocent Lebanese civilians at risk, and ongoing violence against Palestinians and their homes being demolished in the West Bank,” Kelly said. “All of this has undermined the path forward for peace.”Republican senators voted as a bloc against holding the vote on the proposals. They were joined by several Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand,