U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Shumer called on Thursday for new elections in Israel, harshly criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an obstacle to peace.
Democrat Schumer, long a supporter of Israel and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official, told the Senate that Netanyahu's government "no longer fits the needs of Israel" five months into a war that began with attacks on Israel by Hamas militants on Oct. 7.
"As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may. But the important thing is that Israelis are given a choice. There needs to be a fresh debate about the future of Israel after Oct. 7," Schumer said.
"In my opinion, that is best accomplished by holding an election," he said.
Schumer said it would be a "grave mistake" for Israel to reject a two-state solution and urged negotiators in the Israel-Gaza conflict to do everything possible to secure a ceasefire, free hostages and get aid into Gaza.
Schumer and other leading Democrats, including President Joe Biden, face intense criticism from within the party, over Washington's unconditional support for Israel, given the impact on Palestinian civilians of Israel's assault on Gaza.
The war erupted after fighters from Hamas killed 1,200 people in a lightning Oct. 7 attack on Israel and took 253 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 31,184 Palestinians and injured 72,889, according to authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
"It is grotesque... and hypocritical... for Americans who hyperventilate about foreign interference in our own democracy to call for the removal of the democratically elected leader of Israel. This is unprecedented," McConnell said.
