Netanyahu’s allies reject Schumer’s criticism.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s allies quickly criticized a sharp speech by Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and Majority Leader, in which he called the Israeli leader an obstacle to peace, with Israel’s ambassador to the United States making such claims as ” counterproductive’.
Mr. Schumer’s comments, which included a call for new leadership, was among the strongest yet by an elected U.S. official. They highlighted growing tensions between the US government and Israel, as many Democrats grow increasingly angry over the humanitarian crisis unleashed by Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog called the comments “not helpful” in a social media post and said they were “counterproductive to our common goals.”
Netanyahu’s right-wing party, Likud, said “Israel is not a banana republic, but a proud independent democracy that elected Prime Minister Netanyahu” and that Senator Schumer was “expected to respect the Israeli government and not undermine it.”
The Israeli leader has struck a defiant tone against international criticism of his country’s handling of its war against Hamas.
President Biden and Mr. Netanyahu spoke with Mr. Biden this month claim that the Israeli leader “hurt Israel” more than it helped. This week, a group of Democratic senators urged Biden stop supplying assault weapons to Israel for the war against Hamas until it lifted restrictions on US-backed humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Mr Biden has become more forceful in recent days over the plight of civilians in Gaza, where the United Nations and aid agencies have warned of a looming famine, and has urged Mr Netanyahu not to go ahead with his stated plans to to launch a major ground offensive. in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, without a plan to protect the masses of people sheltering there.
More than a million Gazans have sought refuge in the city, many of whom have been displaced by fighting or by Israeli military orders to move to so-called safe zones.
During a visit to soldiers in northern Israel on Thursday, Mr Netanyahu vowed to press ahead with plans to move to Rafah, which Israel says is Hamas’s last major stronghold.
“There is international pressure to prevent us from entering Rafah and completing the work,” he said. “As Prime Minister of Israel, I reject this pressure.”
Mr Netanyahu is also struggling with politics at home. A new US intelligence investigation this week cast doubt on his ability to stay in power amid suspicions is rising among the Israeli public and Israel will likely have difficulty rooting out Hamas. And Israel’s wartime emergency government is showing tension: On Tuesday, the aggressive New Hope party announced that this would be the case leaves the fragile two-party alliance led by Benny Gantza member of the war cabinet, expressing frustration that Rafah had not yet been invaded.
The Israeli Opposition leaderYair Lapid said on Thursday that Mr Schumer’s speech showed Mr Netanyahu was “losing Israel’s biggest supporters in the US”. Mr. Lapid has said he would join an Israeli government led by the right as long as it excludes Mr. Netanyahu and some of his hardline partners.
“Netanyahu is wreaking havoc on national efforts to win the war and ensure Israel’s security,” Mr. Lapid said.