Schumer Calls for New Elections in Israel Criticizing Netanyahu, Republicans Rebuke Senate Majority Leader
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Thursday called on Israel to hold new elections, criticizing Prime Minister Netanyahu as an “obstacle to peace” and advocating for a two-state solution in the Middle East. His speech drew strong criticism from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
During a speech given on Capitol Hill, Schumer advocated for new elections in Israel, stating that “Netanyahu has lost his way” and labeling the Israeli Prime Minister as an “obstacle to peace,” and said, “I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel, at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government.”
Schumer identified Netanyahu, along with Hamas, “radical Israelis,” and Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, as the four main obstacles to peace in his address.
Schumer criticized the current Israeli government, stating, “The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel,” and highlighted that the Israeli people suffer under a governance “stuck in the past.” He stressed the need for a two-state solution, describing it as “the only real and sustainable solution to this decades-old conflict.”
Schumer, the highest-ranking elected Jewish official in U.S. history, voiced his opinion, suggesting that he represents mainstream Jewish Americans’ views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He suggested that Washington consider conditioning or cutting off aid to Israel unless a new government is established.
He warned of the consequences if Netanyahu’s coalition continues: “If Prime Minister Netanyahu’s current coalition remains in power… and continues to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing US standards for assistance, then the United States will have no choice but to play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course.”
Schumer also pointed out Hamas’ significant role in the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing that Israel should not be solely blamed for civilian casualties. “Israel is by no means the only one responsible for the immense civilian toll. To blame only Israel for the deaths of Palestinians is unfair, one-sided, and often deliberately manipulative. And it ignores Hamas’ role in this conflict.”
Schumer also criticized the media and anti-Israel protesters for not recognizing how Hamas’ use of human shields exacerbates the death toll in Gaza. He combined this with a rebuke of claims against Jewish historical presence, stating, “Contrary to the unfounded, absurd, and offensive claims by some that the Jewish people are colonizers in their ancestral homeland, Jewish people have lived in the homeland continuously for more than 3,000 years.”
Israeli Officials Voice Their Displeasure
Schumer’s comments faced strong pushback from within Israel, with Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, emphasizing the nation’s autonomy. “Israel is a sovereign democracy,” Herzog asserted. He further criticized the timing and nature of such comments, stating, “It is unhelpful, all the more so as Israel is at war against the genocidal terror organization Hamas, to comment on the domestic political scene of a democratic ally.”
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett posted on the social platform X, “Regardless of our political opinion, we strongly oppose external political intervention in Israel’s internal affairs.” He criticized Schumer’s remarks as an unwarranted intrusion into Israeli democracy, affirming, “Israel is not a banana republic,” and staunchly defended Israel’s actions in the conflict with Hamas, asserting, “We are an independent nation, not a banana republic.”
“With the threat of terrorism on its way to the West, it would be best if the international community would assist Israel in its just war, thereby also protecting their countries,” Bennett concluded.
Republicans Rebuke Schumer
House Speaker Mike Johnson condemned Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s call for Israel to hold elections over disagreements with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Johnson articulated his disapproval sharply, stating: “We want to speak very clearly and concisely to say that this is not only highly inappropriate, it’s just plain wrong for an American leader to play such a divisive role in Israeli politics while our closest ally in the region is in an existential battle for its very survival,” he stated in a press briefing, as reported by The Hill.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stated in his speech on the Senate floor, “It is grotesque and hypocritical for Americans who hyperventilate about foreign interference in our own democracy to call for the removal of a democratically elected leader of Israel.”
“This is unprecedented. We should not treat fellow democracies this way at all. … Israel is not a colony of America whose leaders serve at the pleasure of the party in power in Washington. Only Israel’s citizens should have a say in who runs their government,” McConnell stated.
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