The Democratic leader of the US Senate on Thursday called for elections in Israel, calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an “obstacle to peace” – a new example of Washington's changing tone on managing the war in Gaza.
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Chuck Schumer said during a speech he gave that the government coalition “led by Netanyahu is no longer compatible with Israel’s needs after October 7,” the date of the start of the war with the Palestinian Hamas movement.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way, letting his political survival come before Israel’s best interests,” the influential US Senate elected official added.
This new sign of American distrust towards the Israeli Prime Minister comes a few days after President Joe Biden’s statements in which he asserted that Benjamin Netanyahu “does more harm than good to Israel.”
In response to a question from Agence France-Presse, Netanyahu's office did not immediately comment. But his party, Likud, strongly criticized Mr. Schumer's comments, stressing that the prime minister's policy “enjoys the support of the vast majority of the Israeli population.”
“Israel is not a banana republic,” he said in a statement.
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Critical point
The Democratic majority leader in the Senate and the highest-ranking Jew elected in the United States, Chuck Schumer, has so far been very cautious in his criticism of Israel's ally and the way it is carrying out its attack on Gaza.
But he said that Israel had reached a “critical point” after five months of conflict, considering that “new elections are the only way to allow a healthy decision-making process” about the country's future.
According to Mr. Schumer, who also called for the resignation of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who has been in office since 2005, Benjamin Netanyahu is “very willing to tolerate civilian casualties in Gaza, which is pushing international support for Israel close to” historic lows.
However, he believes that Israel “cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.”
These comments did not fail to provoke a quick reaction from Republicans, whose strong support for Israel remained unchanged.
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called them “horrible and hypocritical.” He said that Israel “deserves an ally that acts like an ally.”
'It is counterproductive'
The Israeli ambassador to Washington, Michael Herzog, considered Chuck Schumer's statements “counterproductive.”
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet and Netanyahu's biggest rival, said, “It is up to (Israeli) citizens only to decide the political future” of the country.
In response to a question about the Democratic leader's comments, a White House spokesman intervened.
“We know (Chuck) Schumer feels strongly about this issue,” John Kirby said. “We will continue to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself, while doing everything in our power to avoid civilian casualties.”
After months of almost unconditional support for Israel, Joe Biden is also adopting an increasingly critical tone in the face of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
The US President, who is running for re-election in November, is in fact under pressure from a portion of his voters.
And in Michigan, a state expected to be decisive in November, many Democrats, including a large percentage of members of the large Arab-American community, are threatening not to vote for him in a duel against Republican Donald Trump, even though there is no difference. Simple in elections. His support for Israel.
The Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip left 31,341 people dead, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health, in a region where famine threatens and where humanitarian aid is difficult to deliver.
The war began after the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, which led to the killing of at least 1,160 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse count based on official Israeli sources.
