Senator Schumer calls for new Israeli elections in speech about Prime Minister Netanyahu

“I believe that holding new elections once the war begins to wind down will give the people of Israel an opportunity to express their vision for their postwar future,” Schumer said Thursday in a speech on the Senate floor. Remarks that did not set a precise schedule for new elections. Schumer opened his speech by saying he felt an “incalculable obligation” to speak out as a Jewish American, emphasizing that Israelis, not Americans, will decide the outcome of the election.

The call from one of Congress’s strongest supporters of Israel comes as dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza war boils over, and concerns that this could even threaten the future of close ties between Israel and the United States. It shows the clearest signal ever.

Although President Biden has frequently expressed dissatisfaction with Netanyahu in recent months, he has never publicly suggested an Israeli would replace him. The prime minister is deeply unpopular at home after the Oct. 7 attack on Hamas, accused of blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza and of wanting to carry out a ground invasion in Rafah, a densely populated area where American forces are based. He is at odds with U.S. officials over what he has declared. He believes that countries will experience unacceptable levels of civilian casualties. He has also explicitly rejected US offers to discuss a path to a two-state solution.

U.S. officials increasingly see Netanyahu as putting his own political survival above all else, and more focused on appeasing far-right members of his coalition than on what’s best for Israel. ing. Biden said in an interview on MSNBC last week that Netanyahu is “hurting Israel more than he is helping it.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) slammed Schumer’s speech on the Senate floor Thursday, saying Israel deserves allies who will protect it and calling for a new election. “It’s grotesque,” he said.

“Israel’s unity government and security cabinet deserve the respect due to a sovereign democracy,” McConnell said.

Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog said it was “useless” for Schumer to comment on the election when Israel is at war. “It is counterproductive to our common goals,” Herzog wrote in a social media post.

It is unclear how Schumer’s declaration will affect Israeli politics. Mr. Netanyahu is deeply unpopular, but polls show a majority of Americans support many of his positions at odds with the United States, including a possible ground invasion of Rafah. . Former Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who met with Schumer and other lawmakers during a visit to Washington this month, could become Prime Minister Netanyahu’s successor if fresh elections are held. Since the war began, several opinion polls have shown that a majority of Israelis want early elections.

In his speech, Schumer expressed concern that Netanyahu’s clear rejection of a two-state solution in which Palestinians would have their own state meant a future of constant war and isolation for Israelis. . He identified four main obstacles to peace and a two-state solution: the presence of Hamas and its Palestinian supporters, right-wing Israelis in government and society, and the presence of 88-year-old Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. explained. He described him as a “terrible” leader of the Palestinians in the West Bank. The fourth obstacle was Netanyahu himself.

“He’s aligned with far-right extremists like ministers.” [Bezalel] with smotrich [Itamar] As a result, Prime Minister Ben Gvir has been all too willing to tolerate civilian casualties in Gaza, which has driven support for Israel to historic lows around the world,” Schumer said. , citing two of Netanyahu’s radical cabinet ministers who have called for a permanent boost in support for Israel. Palestinians fleeing Gaza. “Israel cannot survive if it becomes an outcast.”

Senate majority leader says he understands concerns among some Israelis that a Palestinian state could make Israelis more vulnerable to attacks, says more Palestinian leaders do not reject Hamas I lamented that. But he pressed both sides to reject what he called “river-to-sea thinking,” referring to a slogan that refers to one group controlling the entire territory occupied by both Palestinians and Israelis. Ta.

“The harsh reality is that their insistence on a single state dominated by Israel guarantees constant war in perpetuity and further isolation to the point where the future of the world’s Jewish community is at risk.” he said.

Schumer said Netanyahu’s opposition to a two-state solution and refusal to responsibly participate in “day-by-day” discussions about what happens to post-war Gaza disqualifies him from office. suggested.

“The U.S. government should demand that Israel act with a future two-state solution in mind,” Schumer said. “We should not be forced into a position of explicitly supporting the actions of the Israeli government, including bigots who reject the idea of ​​a Palestinian state.”

Schumer defended Israel’s right to eliminate Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that left about 1,200 Israelis behind. The dead and over 200 people taken hostage. But as the war drags on for months and the Palestinian civilian death toll reaches more than 30,000, many Democratic senators have expressed deep concerns about the legality and morality of Israel’s method of waging the war. .

Still, all but three members of the Democratic caucus voted last month to send billions of dollars in additional aid to the nation. The aid bill is pending in the House, where Republicans oppose additional funding for the Ukraine Arms Act. Schumer and McConnell urged House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to allow a vote on the aid package.

Schumer’s message stands in contrast to most congressional Republicans, who have refused to criticize Netanyahu’s approach. Senate Republicans invited the prime minister to address the rally via video on Wednesday, but he was unable to do so.

The Israeli government has resisted American pressure for months to allow more humanitarian aid to Gaza, even as the United States continues to provide military and diplomatic support to the Gaza operation.

“I’m going to advocate for Israel to facilitate more trucks and more routes to get needed aid to more people,” Biden said this month. “There are no excuses. The truth is that the aid flowing to Gaza is simply not enough.”

Earlier this year, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ordered Israel to “take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance.”

Eight Democratic senators announced this week that they support ending U.S. aid to Israel if humanitarian aid is not allowed to expand to Gaza. Mr. Schumer has not participated in these efforts.

CIA Director William J. Burns testified Monday to Congress that a ceasefire is desperately needed to facilitate aid. U.S. officials have been urging Hamas in recent weeks to accept terms of a temporary ceasefire.

“The reality is that there are children who are starving,” Burns said. “They are suffering from malnutrition because humanitarian aid is not reaching them. Unless there is a ceasefire, it will be very difficult to distribute humanitarian aid effectively.”

Schumer said he supports the Biden administration’s efforts to negotiate a temporary ceasefire to allow for more aid to Gaza. But he said Thursday that he opposes the current permanent ceasefire, which would “only allow Hamas to regroup and carry out further attacks on Israeli civilians.”

Yasmeen Abutaleb contributed to this report.