Netanyahu Rebukes Chuck Schumer: 'Ridiculous'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, calling for new elections in Israel is "ridiculous."

The Context:

On October 7, 2023, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza. Israeli officials have said that 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 250 people were taken hostage in Hamas' attack, according to the Associated Press, while more than 31,100 Palestinians have been killed, officials from the health ministry in Gaza said.

Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party, said on CBS News' Face the Nation in late February that there will be no peace until Hamas is destroyed.

Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the United States and longtime supporter of Israel, said on the Senate floor on Thursday that Netanyahu is an "obstacle to peace."

"At this critical juncture, I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel," Schumer said.

What We Know:

Bash asked Netanyahu on CNN's State of the Union: "Will you commit to new elections when the war winds down?"

"That's something for the Israeli people to decide. I think it's ridiculous to talk about it," the Israeli leader replied.

He added: "It's like after 9/11— you're in the midst of fighting the war against Al-Qaeda and an Israeli would say, you know what we need now is either new elections in the U.S. or if your system doesn't allow then President Bush should resign, and we should have an alternative leader. You don't do that. You don't do that to a sister democracy, to an ally."

Newsweek reached out to Schumer's office via email and Netanyahu's office via online form for comment.

Views:

Schumer's speech received mixed reactions, with some rebuking the Senate leader and others standing with him.

Representative Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat who previously served as House speaker, told Bash on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday that it is up to the Israeli people to decide if they want a new election.

"What is wrong with advocating for elections in a democracy?" she asked. "What does that say if [Netanyahu] won't even say that as the war winds down, the people of Israel should speak—That's all Chuck was saying."

Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs committee, told Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday: "It was very inappropriate. I think it was embarrassing," referring to Schumer's speech. "There's a way to talk about your differences, not to topple a government in a democratic country."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said on the Senate floor on Thursday, "It is grotesque and hypocritical for Americans who hyperventilate about foreign interference in our own democracy to call for the removal of a democratically elected leader of Israel."

Meanwhile, Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, a nonprofit aimed at ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict peacefully and diplomatically, told Newsweek on Thursday: "We agree with Senator Schumer and believe that Israel needs new leadership that hasn't failed to provide security, protect democracy and promote a sustainable long-term future of peace with its neighbors."

President Joe Biden called Schumer's Senate floor statements "a good speech."

"I'm not going to elaborate on the speech," Biden told reporters on Friday. "He made a good speech, and I think he expressed a serious concern shared not only by him, but by many Americans."

What's Next?

As the Israel-Hamas war rages on, Gazans are on the brink of famine. The United Nations (U.N.) said in February that over a quarter of the 2.3 million people in Gaza were "estimated to be facing catastrophic levels of deprivation and starvation," adding that a widespread famine would be "almost inevitable" without increased humanitarian action.

The White House, along with other world leaders, have been working on a second temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the region to get the remaining hostages in Gaza out and to bring more humanitarian aid in.

Update 3/17/24, 9:37 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

Update 3/17/24, 10:07 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

Update 3/17/24, 10:14 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

Update 3/17/24, 10:38 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

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