Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an “obstacle to peace” in a Thursday floor speech and called on Israelis to hold a new election to replace the Netanyahu government amid the ongoing war with Hamas.
“Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel,” Schumer said in a 40-minute speech on the Senate floor, suggesting Israel should elect a new leader who can deal with the threat of Hamas.
Schumer’s call for an Israeli election comes as President Joe Biden and other Democrats are becoming increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu over the rising civilian deaths in Gaza and his refusal to agree to a cease-fire deal with Hamas, which would include the establishment of an official Palestinian state. The Israeli leader again rejected the possibility of a two-state solution earlier this week, saying his nation wouldn’t support the proposition after the brutal October 7 attack.
Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish lawmaker in the U.S., said a new Israeli election is the “only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel, at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government.”
The next Israeli legislative election is set for October 2026.
“Nobody expects Prime Minister Netanyahu to do the things that must be done to break the cycle of violence, preserve Israel’s credibility on the world stage, and work towards a two-state solution,” Schumer added.