Chuck Schumer's statements went down badly with Tel Aviv and the Republican Party. For now, the White House is quiet
Tensions between the US and Israel have been high for a long time. The Senate majority leader toughened his speech after the US president criticized some of Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip.
Chuck Schumer has openly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for early elections.
“As a strong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me: the Netanyahu-led coalition will no longer serve Israel's needs after October 7. The world has changed radically since then, and the Israeli people are being suffocated by the government's vision of the past,” said the official, the highest-ranking Jew in America. , which he does himself. I don't want to talk about it.
“Five months of this conflict have made it clear that Israelis need to ask whether they should change course. At this critical moment, when many Israelis have lost faith in the government's vision and direction, I believe that new elections are the only way to enable a healthy and transparent decision-making process about Israel's future,” He added that.
This is another source of pressure on President Joe Biden, a Democrat who has begun to lose patience with Tel Aviv and is taking a tougher line on Israeli actions, particularly through sanctions against settlers established in the West Bank.
Despite this, Schumer, a Democrat, wanted to make clear that Hamas condemned the attack and that the United States should continue to support Israel and try to mediate negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release. Trapped in the Gaza Strip.
However, the official understands that some Israeli actions do not justify everything. “It saddens me that Israel's propaganda has killed so many innocent Palestinians,” he said, “and fellow Americans feel the same pain when they see images of death and starving children.”
The White House has not commented on the Senate Majority Leader's criticism or his calls for new elections in the country.
“We know President Schumer feels strongly about this issue,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “Then we'll certainly let him talk about it.”
Kirby added that the Biden administration will “focus on ensuring that Israel is able to defend itself while doing everything it can to avoid civilian casualties.” The focus is on achieving a ceasefire.
The State Department chose to distance itself from the comments, saying that Congress is an independent body and that the words were those of the Senate Majority Leader, not President Joe Biden.
Republicans Threaten Ukraine
As expected, criticism of Schumer's words didn't last long. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader of the Senate, spoke precisely from the floor of Congress.
“Israel is not a North American colony well-used by the leaders in power in Washington, DC. Only Israeli citizens can say who rules,” he said, calling for the “removal of Israel's democratically elected leader” before noting that it was “brutal and hypocritical” for some Americans to talk about interfering in democracy.
“This is unprecedented. We should not treat friendly democracies like this,” McConnell reiterated.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives also criticized Schumer's words. Republican Mike Johnson criticized the “divisive role” in Israeli politics and spoke out in “highly inappropriate” statements.
In a statement to CNN, the official added that the new reports are causing Republicans to “consider” splitting the foreign aid package, which has so far been negotiated with support going to Ukraine. Allowing military aid to Kiev becomes even more difficult.
“It probably changes the calculation, so we're considering that,” he said.
Israel reacts
It is not difficult to imagine the reaction of Israel, which came to criticize Chuck Schumer's statements. Benjamin Netanyahu's party, a key target, was one of the first voices to say Israel was not a “banana republic.”
The Likud rejected the Prime Minister's resignation scenario. “Contrary to Schumer's words, Israel publicly supports a complete victory over Hamas, rejects any international mandate to establish a Palestinian terrorist state and opposes the return of Palestinian Authority to Gaza,” it said.
“Senator Schumer is expected to respect Israel's elected government and not undermine it. This is always the case, even more so in times of war,” the memo said.
The Israeli ambassador to the US also criticized the words. Michael Herzog recalled that Israel is a “sovereign democracy,” accusing Schumer's words of wartime “counterproductive” and that the two countries have “common goals.”
Israel is a sovereign democracy. With Israel engaged in a war against the genocidal terrorist organization Hamas, it is futile to comment on the domestic political scene of a democratic ally. It goes against our common goals.
— Ambassador Michael Herzog (@AmbHerzog) March 14, 2024
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