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Schumer’s anti-Netanyahu speech stuns Israel
Barak Ravid
March 14, 2024

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) speech calling for a new government in Israel landed like an earthquake Thursday, delivering a huge shock to the already tense U.S.-Israel relationship. In addition to being the most senior Jewish elected official in the country, Schumer has had one of the longest and closest relationships with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of any U.S. politician. Schumer’s speech stunned officials and observers in both Washington and Jerusalem because he has been — and still is — the Democratic Party’s most avid supporter of Israel in decades. His harsh remarks about Netanyahu create more political space for other Democratic members of Congress to publicly voice their criticism of the Israeli government amid the ongoing war in Gaza. READ MORE

JNS Netanyahu, Israeli right, Hamas, Abbas ‘the four obstacles to peace,’ Schumer says Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) identified Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “radical right-wing Israelis,” alongside Hamas and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, as “the four obstacles to peace” between Israelis and Palestinians. In a Thursday speech on the Senate floor that Schumer described as a “major address” on a possible two-state solution, the senator labeled Israeli cabinet members “bigots” and “extremists” and called for new elections in Israel…He implied that Washington should condition or cut off aid to Israel unless a new government is formed.

POLITICO Schumer calls for new government, ‘course corrections’ by Israel The Senate majority leader delivered his remarks in a floor speech designed to carry extra weight as the highest-ranking Jewish official in U.S. government. Schumer said if the Netanyahu government remains in power the U.S. would need to play “a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course” and that President Joe Biden’s administration should ensure U.S. assistance to Israel is “aligned with our broader goal of achieving long-term peace and stability in the region.”