US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s warning that Israel risks becoming a “pariah” for its war in Gaza, and his call for new elections in the country, sent shockwaves from Washington to Jerusalem.
President Joe Biden called it a “good speech” and said Schumer had expressed a “serious concern” shared by many Americans. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, slammed the address as “totally inappropriate” in an interview with CNN this morning.
Here’s some of the latest reaction to the comments by Washington’s highest-ranking Jewish official:
Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has defended Schumer’s recent comments on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday.
“Senator Schumer’s speech came from his heart — what he believes is necessary for peace,” Cardin said.
The Maryland senator said Schumer was simply calling for Israelis to be able to vote for who they want as leader, and that this will only happen once Israel has gotten “past Hamas.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Schumer’s remarks as an “act of courage” and an “act of love for Israel” in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“The prime minister’s presentation proved the necessity of Chuck Schumer’s speech,” Pelosi said.
The California Democrat added that Netanyahu must “be unaware or ill-informed” of the humanitarian situation in Gaza after the prime minister claimed Israel was letting in enough aid to Gaza.
Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, slammed Schumer’s comments as “inappropriate” and “embarrassing” Sunday.
“There’s a way to talk about your differences – not to topple a democratic country,” the Texas Republican said on “Fox News Sunday.” McCaul characterized the speech as indicative of a “split in the Democratic party” between what he called a “pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel faction” and those who support Israel.
McCaul said a Rafah offensive would allow Israel to take out “high-value targets” in Hamas.
Meanwhile, on the campaign trail: Former President Donald Trump has criticized Schumer, suggesting Israel is loyal to the Democratic Party “to a fault.” Asked on Fox News today if the majority leader’s words amounted to the US telling a sovereign ally how to run its government, Trump answered, “100%. There’s no question about it and they don’t know where to go. They’re very bad for Israel.”
The former president has repeatedly been criticized for parroting the antisemitic trope that US Jews, a population that historically has voted for Democrats by wide margins, have dual loyalties to the US and Israel.
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