Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, the top Jewish official in the US, has called for new leadership and new elections in Israel in a stunning rebuke of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Senate majority leader says Netanyahu has “lost his way” and has now become an “obstacle to peace”, five months after the October 7 Hamas attacks and the start of the war in Gaza.
In an extraordinary 40-minute speech in the Senate, Israel’s longtime defender said Netanyahu has placed himself in a coalition of “far-right extremists” and is more interested in his own political survival than a solution.
Schumer said: “As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we must let the chips fall where they may.
“But the most important thing is that Israelis are given a choice. A new debate on Israel’s future must take place after October 7.
“In my opinion, this can best be achieved by holding elections.”
Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer has called for elections and new leadership in Israel because Benjamin Netanyahu is an ‘obstacle to peace’ in some of the most scathing US criticism since the October 7 Hamas attack
A displaced Palestinian man carries containers amid the rubble of houses destroyed by Israeli bombing in the Hamad area, west of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 14, 2024
Schumer’s harsh criticism follows efforts by President Joe Biden and Democrats to increase pressure on Netanyahu to protect Palestinian civilians as he continues his offensive.
The Biden administration has also called for a temporary ceasefire to get aid to the Palestinians and allow the release of hostages captured by Hamas.
Netanyahu has vowed to continue fighting until Hamas is destroyed.
But Democrats are beginning to question his motives, prompting Schumer to issue some of his most scathing criticisms yet.
Schumer added: “He (Netanyahu) has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza. Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.
“As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me: the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits Israel’s needs after October 7.
“The world has changed – radically – since then, and the Israeli people are currently being suffocated by a government vision stuck in the past.”
Schumer was pictured with Netanyahu in 2017. He said in his speech: “As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me: the Netanyahu coalition no longer suits Israel’s needs after October 7.”
Displaced Palestinians walk through a rubble-filled street in the Hamad area, west of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip
Clouds of smoke form the northern part of the Gaza Strip as a result of an Israeli airstrike
Schumer said the only solution is “a demilitarized Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in equal measure of peace, security, prosperity and dignity.”
Netanyahu has rejected the idea of a two-state solution because he believes it would allow Hamas to maintain its presence and threaten Israel’s future.
Schumer’s comments prompted an immediate response from Republicans, who called his speech “inappropriate and offensive.”
“The last thing Israel needs is the ‘foreign election interference’ that Democrats here so often decry,” said Republican Senator Tom Cotton.
Relatives of the Al Atrash family mourn their covered bodies at Al Aqsa Hospital, following an Israeli airstrike in Deir Al Balah
US President Joe Biden is welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he visits Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 18, 2023
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, speaks to the press after the Democratic weekly luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 6, 2024
“Furthermore, the most important election that concerns Chuck Schumer is not Israel’s, but our elections, because the rampant anti-Semitism that the Democratic Party has allowed to fester within its ranks is deeply unpopular with the pro-Israel American public.”
White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby said he would let Schumer “address his comments” when asked about the speech.
“We remain focused on ensuring Israel has everything it needs to defend itself, while doing everything we can to prevent civilian casualties,” Kirby added.
“We’re still focused, laser-focused, on trying to broker a temporary ceasefire so we can free the hostages and get more help, and that’s where our heads are at right now.”
