Schumer calls for new leadership in Israel and calls Netanyahu an obstacle to peace

Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and majority leader, delivered a sharp speech in the Senate on Thursday, in which he denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel as a major obstacle to peace in the Middle East and called for new leadership in Israel, into the war for five months.

Many Democratic lawmakers have condemned Netanyahu’s leadership and his right-wing governing coalition, and President Biden has even criticized the Israeli army’s offensive in Gaza as “overblown.” But Mr. Schumer’s speech amounted to the sharpest criticism yet from a senior American elected official, essentially urging Israelis to replace Mr. Netanyahu.

“I believe in his heart that his top priority is the security of Israel,” said Mr. Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States. “However, I also believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by putting his political survival ahead of Israel’s interests.”

He added: “He has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing global support for Israel to an all-time low. Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.”

Mr. Schumer’s speech was the latest reflection of growing dissatisfaction among Democrats, especially progressives, over Israel’s conduct of the war and its toll on Palestinian civilians, posing a strategic and political dilemma for Mr. Biden taken care of. Republicans have tried to capitalize on that dynamic, embracing Netanyahu more closely while Democrats reject him.

The majority leader’s comments came a day after Senate Republicans invited Mr. Netanyahu to speak as a special guest at a party retreat in Washington. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican, invited Netanyahu to address Republicans virtually, but he was unable to appear due to a last-minute scheduling conflict. Ambassador Michael Herzog, Israel’s envoy to the United States, spoke on his behalf.

On Thursday, Mr. Schumer was cautious in claiming that he was not trying to dictate an election outcome in Israel. And he preceded his harsh criticism of Mr. Netanyahu with a lengthy defense of the country he said American Jews “love to our hearts.” He said there had been an “incorrect perception” of the war, with Israel placing too much blame for civilian deaths in Gaza, without focusing enough on how Hamas had used Palestinian civilians as human shields. And he said he understood how difficult it was for traumatized Israelis to consider the possibility of a two-state solution at this time.

But he said: “The Netanyahu coalition will no longer meet Israel’s needs after October 7. The world has changed – radically – since then and the Israeli people are currently oppressed by a government vision that is stuck in the past. .”

Mr. Schumer said the only solution to the decades-old conflict was a two-state solution: “a demilitarized Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in equal measure of peace, security, prosperity and dignity.” He said Netanyahu, who has rejected the idea of ​​a Palestinian state, was endangering Israel’s future.

“At this critical moment, I believe that new elections are the only way to enable a healthy and open decision-making process about Israel’s future, at a time when so many Israelis have lost confidence in their country’s vision and direction. government,” Mr. Schumer said, noting that a majority of the Israeli public “will recognize the need for change.”

“As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we must let the chips fall where they may,” he said. “But the most important thing is that Israelis are given a choice. There must be a new debate about Israel’s future after October 7.”

Mr. Schumer’s speech marked the second time he addressed the Israel-Hamas war from the Senate in a meaningful speech. In November, Mr. Schumer gave a deeply personal speech condemning the rise of anti-Semitism in America, which has flared since Israel began retaliating against Hamas for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on defenseless Israeli civilians.

That speech seemed mainly aimed at members of his own party; he warned that some liberals and young people were “unknowingly supporting and encouraging anti-Semitism” in the name of social justice.

On Thursday, his speech took direct aim at Mr. Netanyahu and the far-right members of his governing coalition, who Mr. Schumer said did not conform to Jewish values.

“He will not deny Secretary Smotrich and Ben-Gvir and their calls for Israelis to expel Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank,” Schumer said. “He will not commit to a military operation in Rafah that prioritizes the protection of civilian lives. He will not responsibly engage in discussions about a ‘day after’ plan for Gaza and a longer-term path to peace.”

Mr. Schumer said that if Mr. Netanyahu and his current coalition remain in power, “the United States will have no choice but to play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our influence to change the current course.” change.”