Schumer Calls for New Elections in Israel

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Thursday called on Israel to hold new elections, strongly criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for becoming an obstacle to peace in the region.

Speaking for roughly 40 minutes on the Senate floor, Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the United States, stressed that there’s plenty of blame to go around for the current situation in Gaza.

In addition to Netanyahu, he also singled out Hamas and the Palestinians who support them, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and far-right extremists in Israel as being responsible for the trading of deadly blows that shows no sign of abating.

“Until they are removed from the equation, there will never be peace in Israel and Gaza and the West Bank,” he said.

But it was Netanyahu for whom Schumer reserved his most pointed and prolonged barbs.

He said he believed the Israeli prime minister had “lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel.”

“He has put himself in coalition with far-right extremists like Ministers [Bezalel] Smotrich and [Itamar] Ben-Gvir, and as a result, he has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows,” Schumer continued, adding, “Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.”

He then went on to accuse Netanyahu of weakening “Israel’s political and moral fabric” through his attempts to “co-opt the judiciary.” 

“And he has shown zero interest in doing the courageous and visionary work required to pave the way for peace, even before this present conflict,” he said.

Schumer, the first Jewish majority leader in Senate history, said he has been a lifelong supporter of Israel and continues to be one.

But, he said, “it has become clear to me the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after Oct. 7. The world has changed — radically — since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past.

“Nobody expects Prime Minister Netanyahu to do the things that must be done to break the cycle of violence, to preserve Israel’s credibility on the world stage, and to work towards a two-state solution,” Schumer continued.

“He won’t commit to a military operation in Rafah that prioritizes protecting civilian life. He won’t engage responsibly in discussions about a ‘day-after’ plan for Gaza, and a longer-term pathway to peace,” he said.

Schumer’s remarks come at a time when President Joe Biden has tried to increase public pressure on Netanyahu’s government to limit the civilian death toll in Gaza amid the Israeli bombardment. 

Earlier this month, the United States and a coalition of partners began airdrops of badly needed humanitarian aid and the White House subsequently announced it would establish a temporary pier on the Mediterranean Sea to get more assistance into Gaza via the port in Cyprus.

During a virtual, on-the-record briefing with White House reporters on Thursday, national security spokesman John Kirby declined to comment on Schumer’s calls for new Israeli elections.

“We know Leader Schumer feels strongly about this and we’ll certainly let him speak to it and to his comments,” Kirby said. 

“We’re going to stay focused on making sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself while doing everything that they can to avoid civilian casualties,” he added.

Republicans on Capitol Hill and at the House GOP’s Issues Conference in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, expressed no need for such reticence.

Immediately after Schumer spoke, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., slammed his longtime colleague, saying it is “grotesque and hypocritical for Americans who hyperventilate about interference in our own democracy to call for the removal of a democratically elected leader of Israel.

“We should not treat fellow democracies this way at all,” McConnell continued. “Only Israel’s citizens should have a say in who runs their government. This is the very definition of democracy and sovereignty. Either we respect their decisions or we disrespect their democracy.”

Speaking from the GOP conference in West Virginia, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., condemned Schumer’s remarks and said the majority leader owes the people of Israel an apology.

“To have Senate Majority Leader Schumer attacking the democratically elected leadership of Israel is disgraceful,” Scalise said.

“It is sad to see that in Washington, the Democratic Party is starting to fracture and move away from that, [that] needs to stop,” he continued. “They need to look in the mirror and recognize who our friends are and who our enemies are. And if you can’t tell the difference, you don’t have the responsibility to lead. That’s what’s at stake here. Sen. Schumer owes an apology to the people of Israel who elected their leadership.

“This isn’t a time for games,” Scalise said. “This is a time to stand with your friends who are under attack and show no daylight between the United States and Israel. The House Republican leadership continues to show that; we passed a bill to give Israel the aid that they need. And Sen. Schumer won’t bring that bill to the Senate floor.

“We’re going to continue to stand with Israel in their right to defend themselves against terrorists like Hamas,” he said.

Stefanik later released her own statement, saying, “Oct. 7 was the deadliest day in history for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. 

“Israel is not only fighting for its right to exist, it’s fighting for the rights of Jewish people everywhere,” she said. “Instead of meddling in Israeli sovereign elections, Chuck Schumer should follow House Republicans’ lead in supporting our most precious ally in their darkest hour.”

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue