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Schumer Urges New Leadership in Israel, Calling Netanyahu an Obstacle to Peace – The New York Times

By Thomas A. Smith

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

Many Democratic lawmakers have condemned Mr. Netanyahu s leadership and his right-wing governing coalition, and President Biden has even criticized the Israeli military s offensive in Gaza as over the top. But Mr. Schumer s speech amounted to the sharpest critique yet from a senior American elected official effectively urging Israelis to replace Mr. Netanyahu.

I believe in his heart, his highest priority is the security of Israel, said Mr. Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States. However, I also believe Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel.

Mr. Schumer added: He has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows. Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.

The speech was the latest reflection of the growing dissatisfaction among Democrats, particularly progressives, with Israel s conduct of the war and its toll on Palestinian civilians, which has created a strategic and political dilemma for Mr. Biden. Republicans have tried to capitalize on that dynamic for electoral advantage, hugging Mr. Netanyahu closer as Democrats repudiate him.

via www.nytimes.com

I defer to David Bernstein of GMU Law School on this question. Follow him on X. I do not credit anything Senator Schumer says about anything, and especially not the survival of the State of Israel. These comments look like a Democratic bid to get the votes of Hamas supporters in the US, of which there turn out to be quite a few, inevitably styling themselves as Progressive Democrats. No doubt this stance will help Democrats get some more votes. My priority, however, is the security of Israel, which seems to be Netanyahu’s as well.