Schumer Bows To The Anti-Israel Radicals In The Democratic Party

In A Shocking And Inappropriate Move, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer Called For The Israeli Government To Be Changed

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): “Right now, there are four major obstacles standing in the way of two states, and until they are removed from the equation, there will never be peace in Israel and Gaza and the West Bank. Those four major obstacles are: Hamas, and the Palestinians who support and tolerate their evil ways. Radical right-wing Israelis in government and society. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.” (Sen. Schumer, Remarks, 3/14/2024)

·         SCHUMER: “I also believe Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel.” (Sen. Schumer, Remarks, 3/14/2024)

·         SCHUMER: “The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7. The world has changed — radically — since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past.” (Sen. Schumer, Remarks, 3/14/2024)

·         SCHUMER: “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, at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government.” (Sen. Schumer, Remarks, 3/14/2024)

‘The Most Significant Criticism By A U.S. Leader Against The Israeli Government Since Its War With Hamas Began’

“Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for the Israeli government to hold new elections in a speech warning that Israel risked becoming an international ‘pariah’ under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing cabinet.” (“Schumer Calls For ‘New Election’ In Israel In Scathing Speech On Netanyahu,” The Washington Post, 3/14/2024)

“Mr. Schumer said that if Mr. Netanyahu and his current coalition remained in power, ‘then the United States will have no choice but to play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course.’” (“Schumer Urges New Leadership in Israel, Calling Netanyahu an Obstacle to Peace,” The New York Times, 3/14/2024)

·         “The call marks the clearest signal to Israel yet that frustrations over Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza are boiling over, and have reached the highest echelons of the U.S. government.” (“Schumer Calls For ‘New Election’ In Israel In Scathing Speech On Netanyahu,” The Washington Post, 3/14/2024)

NBC NEWS: “[T]he most significant criticism by a U.S. leader against the Israeli government since its war with Hamas began…” (“Chuck Schumer Calls For New Elections In Israel, Criticizing Netanyahu’s Leadership,” NBC News, 3/14/2024)

·         “His speech is the latest in a series of high-level warnings and White House moves aimed at pressuring Israel and Netanyahu’s government…” (“Schumer Calls for End of Netanyahu-Led Government in Israel,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/14/2024)

·         “Many Democratic lawmakers have condemned Mr. Netanyahu’s leadership…” (“Schumer Urges New Leadership In Israel, Calling Netanyahu An Obstacle To Peace,” The New York Times, 3/14/2024)

Outrageously, President Biden Praised Schumer’s Criticism

“President Joe Biden expressed support Friday for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer after the senator called for new elections in Israel, the latest sign that the U.S. relationship with its closest Middle East ally is careening toward fracture over the war in Gaza.” (“Biden Backs Schumer After Senator Calls For New Elections In Israel,” The Associated Press, 3/15/2024)

·         PRESIDENT BIDEN: “He made a good speech, and I think he expressed serious concern shared not only by him, but by many Americans…” (“Biden Backs Schumer’s Criticism Of Bibi,” Axios, 3/15/2024)

Israeli Officials Quickly Expressed Their Disapproval Of Schumer’s Ill-Advised Comments

“The Senate Majority Leader’s speech drew criticism from across the political spectrum in Israel, and from mainstream Jewish organizations at home.” (“Schumer Calls Netanyahu An Obstacle To Peace, Calls For New Israeli Elections,” Jewish Insider, 3/14/2024)

WAR CABINET MINISTER BENNY GANTZ: “Any external intervention in the matter is incorrect and unacceptable.” (The Forward’s Jacob N. Kornbluh, @jacobkornbluh, Twitter, 3/14/2024)

·         “War cabinet minister Benny Gantz, Netanyahu’s rival and leading candidate for PM, calls Schumer’s remarks a ‘mistake’” (The Forward’s Jacob N. Kornbluh, @jacobkornbluh, Twitter, 3/14/2024)

FORMER PRIME MINISTER NAFTALI BENNETT: “Regardless of our political opinion, we strongly oppose external political intervention in Israel’s internal affairs. We are an independent nation, not a banana republic. With the threat of terrorism on its way to the West, it would be best if the international community would assist Israel in its just war, thereby also protecting their countries.” (Naftali Bennett, @naftalibennett, Twitter, 3/14/2024)

ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES MICHAEL HERZOG: “Israel is a sovereign democracy. It is unhelpful, all the more so as Israel is at war against the genocidal terror organization Hamas, to comment on the domestic political scene of a democratic ally. It is counterproductive to our common goals.” (Ambassador Michael Herzog, @AmbHerzog, Twitter, 3/14/2024)

FORMER ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES MICHAEL OREN: “Regardless of my opinion of Netanyahu and his fitness to serve, Senator Schumer’s call for new Israeli elections is deeply disrespectful of our democracy and sovereignty. Israel is an ally, not a vassal state. Along with the U.S., we’re one of the few countries never to have known a second of non-democratic government, and the only democracy never to have known a moment of peace. We certainly deserve that respect.” (Michael Oren, @DrMichaelOren, Twitter, 3/14/2024)

KNESSET SPEAKER AMIR OHANA: “On my recent state visit to the US, I was careful not to wade into American internal politics. The US-Israel alliance lives beyond partisan lines. We work with whoever Americans elect, and expect that respect in return. Senator Chuck Schumer[‘s] … words contravene the reciprocal respect that should define our relationship.” (Amir Ohana, @AmirOhana, Twitter, 3/14/2024)

Schumer Is Following The Lead Of The Far Left Of His Party, Which Has Spent Weeks Pressuring The Biden Administration To Attack Prime Minister Netanyahu And Undermine Israel’s War Efforts

Schumer’s Comments Come As ‘Biden Has Faced Anger From The Progressive Wing Of The Democratic Party Whose Members Have Wanted Him To Put More Pressure On Netanyahu’

“As he runs for re-election, Biden has faced anger from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party whose members have wanted him to put more pressure on Netanyahu, who has served as Israel’s prime minister continuously since Dec. 2022 after the government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid lost its majority.” (“Chuck Schumer Calls For New Elections In Israel, Criticizing Netanyahu’s Leadership,” NBC News, 3/14/2024)

“Biden has faced fierce criticism from younger progressives in the party and from Arab Americans for his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, with more than 100,000 voters in Michigan’s Democratic primary choosing ‘uncommitted’ instead of Biden.” (“Biden Admin Carefully Ramps Up Criticism Of Israel Over The Gaza War But Stops Short Of Cutting Off Military Aid,” NBC News, 3/05/2024)

·         “Mr. Biden, on Tuesday night, weathered yet another embarrassment when ‘uncommitted’ won nearly 46,000 votes — 19 percent of the total — in the Minnesota primary amid a campaign by Democrats protesting his policies in Gaza.” (“Nervous Democrats Press Biden on Gaza Ahead of State of the Union,” The New York Times, 3/07/2024)

‘Joe Biden Won Some Progressive Praise With His Recent Tough Talk On Benjamin Netanyahu, But Liberal Lawmakers’ Demands That The President Take Action Against Israel Are Only Growing Louder’

“Biden has grown more critical of Israel’s actions over time … But that has not been good enough for critics …” (The Hill, 2/29/2024)

·         “President Joe Biden is trying to ramp up political pressure on Israel’s government … Many Democrats in Congress and foreign governments say the administration needs to bring more pressure to bear on Israel. They argue that only a threat to cut off military aid or to withdraw diplomatic support for Israel at the United Nations will persuade Netanyahu to scale back the offensive in Gaza …” (“Biden Admin Carefully Ramps Up Criticism Of Israel Over The Gaza War But Stops Short Of Cutting Off Military Aid,” NBC News, 3/05/2024)

·         “More of President Joe Biden’s top Senate allies are demanding that the U.S. act directly to ease Palestinian civilian suffering in Gaza and are joining calls to cut military aid if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to change course.” (The Associated Press, 3/05/2024)

·         “Joe Biden won some progressive praise with his recent tough talk on Benjamin Netanyahu, but liberal lawmakers’ demands that the president take action against Israel are only growing louder.” (“Progressives Welcome Biden’s Tough Talk To Netanyahu — But Calls For Action Grow Louder,” Politico, 3/12/2024)

Far-Left Senate Democrats: ‘There Has To Be A Rapid Serious Change In Direction Of Israel’s Policy,’ ‘We All Need To Push Back Harder Against The Prime Minister’

SEN. PETER WELCH (D-VT): “[E]ssentially what you’ve got is the prime minister (of Israel) asking us for money and rejecting our advice.… And the big question is, from my perspective, whether the president needs to get more aggressive with Netanyahu.” (“Biden Admin Carefully Ramps Up Criticism Of Israel Over The Gaza War But Stops Short Of Cutting Off Military Aid,” NBC News, 3/05/2024)

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): “There has to be a rapid serious change in direction of Israel’s policy, or our national security interest and Benjamin Netanyahu’s interests are going to clearly be in fundamentally different places.” (“Biden Admin Carefully Ramps Up Criticism Of Israel Over The Gaza War But Stops Short Of Cutting Off Military Aid,” NBC News, 3/05/2024)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): “We all need to push back harder against the prime minister and remind him that US aid is available only to countries that follow international law…. If the prime minister wants to go at it alone, he seems to be making that clear. … The prime minister is not serving the interests of the people of Israel. He is not making Israel safer.” (“Progressives Welcome Biden’s Tough Talk To Netanyahu — But Calls For Action Grow Louder,” Politico, 3/12/2024)

·         “‘The conversations between senators and the White House are vigorous and frank’ regarding the war and Netanyahu, [Sen. Elizabeth] Warren [D-MA] told the AP.” (The Associated Press, 3/05/2024)

SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): “I come to the floor as someone who feels very strongly that Israel absolutely must change course…. The prosecution of this war so far by Netanyahu’s far-right government has been nothing short of an unquestionable strategic failure.” (Sen. Murray, Congressional Record, S.1062, 2/29/2024)

“Now even Biden’s closest confidant in Congress, Chris Coons, says it is time to get tougher with Netanyahu’s government on how it conducts the war…. In the last few days alone, Coons, a senator from Biden’s home state of Delaware, called for the U.S. to cut military aid to Israel if Netanyahu goes ahead with a threatened offensive on the southern city of Rafah without significant provisions to protect the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there…. Continuing U.S. military support for Israel at current levels ‘becomes untenable when Israel demonstrates they are unwilling to listen to us,’ Coons told cable networks …” (The Associated Press, 3/05/2024)

Far-Left House Democrats: ‘[W]e Need Some Consequences When Another Country Is Defying … The President,’ ‘Prime Minister Netanyahu Is Being Profoundly Disrespectful’

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): “Secretary [Austin], just last week, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that any transfer of weapon or ammunition to Israel violates international law…. If Netanyahu defies the United States and invades Rafah, will you commit today that you will halt any future military sales to Israel? … [W]e need some consequences when another country is defying you, defying the national security adviser, defying the president …” (U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee Hearing, 2/29/2024)

·         KHANNA: “I appreciate that the president is listening to many people in his base and is making it more clear that there are going to be consequences for Netanyahu to defy the United States…. He’s taking a tougher line on Netanyahu and responding to many of us.” (“Progressives Welcome Biden’s Tough Talk To Netanyahu — But Calls For Action Grow Louder,” Politico, 3/12/2024)

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): “Prime Minister Netanyahu is being profoundly disrespectful not just to President Biden but to the United States.” (“Progressives Welcome Biden’s Tough Talk To Netanyahu — But Calls For Action Grow Louder,” Politico, 3/12/2024)

REP. MARK POCAN (D-WI): “We’ve wanted a two-state solution for decades in this country, but Netanyahu does not if he thumbed his nose at the president…. Benjamin Netanyahu, maybe it’s time for a divorce.” (“Progressives Welcome Biden’s Tough Talk To Netanyahu — But Calls For Action Grow Louder,” Politico, 3/12/2024)

REP. JOAQUIN CASTRO (D-TX): “You ask a lot of Americans about arm transfers to Israel right now, and they look at you like you’re crazy, like, ‘why in the world would we be sending more bombs over there?’” (“U.S. Floods Arms Into Israel Despite Mounting Alarm Over War’s Conduct,” The Washington Post, 3/06/2024)

Some Democrats Have Gone As Far As Calling For Cutting Off Military Aid To Israel

THE HILL: “Democratic Senators Demand Biden Halt Military Aid To Israel” (The Hill, 3/12/2024)

“In a letter to Mr. Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, and seven Democrats argued that by continuing to arm Israel, Mr. Biden was violating the Foreign Assistance Act, which bars military support from going to any nation that restricts the delivery of humanitarian aid. It was the latest bid by members of his own party to intensify pressure on Mr. Biden to use his leverage to demand that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu change his tactics … ‘We urge you to make it clear to the Netanyahu government that failure to immediately and dramatically expand humanitarian access and facilitate safe aid deliveries throughout Gaza will lead to serious consequences, as specified under existing U.S. law,’ the group wrote.” (“Senators Urge Biden to Stop Arming Israel, Citing Violation of U.S. Aid Law,” The New York Times, 3/12/2024)

·         “The move is the latest bid by Democrats in Congress to register their discontent with Mr. Netanyahu’s conduct and lean on Mr. Biden to use his power to try to change Israel’s tactics ... The letter, written by Senators Sanders, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, is signed by some of the Democratic Party’s most progressive members: Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaii, Peter Welch of Vermont, Tina Smith of Minnesota and Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico.” (“Senators Urge Biden to Stop Arming Israel, Citing Violation of U.S. Aid Law,” The New York Times, 3/12/2024)

“Congressional action to block U.S. arms sales to Israel is ‘certainly something that’s on the table’ if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launches a large-scale invasion of Rafah, a top senator said Tuesday.” (“Senate Dem Says Blocking Weapons Shipments ‘On The Table’ If Israel Invades Rafah,” Politico, 3/12/2024)

·         “The remarks by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) come amid pressure from Democrats for President Joe Biden to take a tougher tack in his rift with Netanyahu over Israel’s strategy in Gaza. Netanyahu said in an interview published Sunday that he intends to press ahead with a Rafah invasion in defiance of Biden’s warning that such an offensive would be a ‘red line.’” (“Senate Dem Says Blocking Weapons Shipments ‘On The Table’ If Israel Invades Rafah,” Politico, 3/12/2024)

·         “Van Hollen was one of seven Democrats who signed a new letter sent Monday from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to Biden, which argued that by continuing to arm Israel, Biden was breaching the Foreign Assistance Act, which bars military support from going to any nation that restricts the delivery of humanitarian aid.” (“Senate Dem Says Blocking Weapons Shipments ‘On The Table’ If Israel Invades Rafah,” Politico, 3/12/2024)

“Several progressives told Axios that some kind of conditions would be necessary for them to lend support to a military assistance package to Israel.” (“Israel aid fight in Congress reignited by threat of Rafah invasion,” Axios, 3/13/2024)

“Dozens of Democrats sent a letter to the White House on Tuesday warning that an anticipated invasion into Rafah could violate the U.S.’s conditions on sending aid to Israel.” (“Dozens Of Democrats Say Rafah Invasion Could Violate Biden Conditions On Aid To Israel,” The Hill, 3/06/2024)

·         “In a letter to Biden last month, Van Hollen and three other Democrats argued that the U.S. should not send more offensive weapons to Netanyahu until he commits to forgo a military operation in Rafah, allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and prioritize the return of hostages taken by Hamas.” (“Senate Dem Says Blocking Weapons Shipments ‘On The Table’ If Israel Invades Rafah,” Politico, 3/12/2024)

·         “A group of 37 House Democrats spearheaded by Reps. Joaquin Castro (Texas), Jamie Raskin (Md.) and Jan Schakowsky (Ill.) sent a letter to President Biden on Tuesday sounding the alarm bells of an anticipated Israeli invasion of Rafah. They wrote that a Rafah invasion would ‘likely contravene’ principles outlined in a recent memo put out by the Biden administration last month.” (“Dozens Of Democrats Say Rafah Invasion Could Violate Biden Conditions On Aid To Israel,” The Hill, 3/06/2024)

‘In The Hall Of Mirrors Democrats Inhabit, A Decidedly Unsympathetic And Numerically Modest Contingent Of Israel Critics Dominate Their Field Of Vision’

NATIONAL REVIEW’S NOAH ROTHMAN: “Not only has Schumer tacitly blamed Jews who have the temerity to defend themselves against explicitly genocidal exogenous threats for their ‘isolation,’ but he also mangled Israeli political realities — all and only to appease an unappeasable band of anti-Israel activists the Democratic Party has unwisely courted as a constituent group.” (Noah Rothman, “Chuck Schumer’s Problem Is with Israel, Not Netanyahu,” National Review, 3/14/2024)

·         “Schumer’s remarks are designed to establish the fiction that new leadership in the Israeli government would yield a new approach to this war and the subsequent effort to establish a healthier social contract in the Gaza Strip. He has no reason to believe that … New elections might produce a new prime minister, but it would not yield a new war because it would not create a new Israel.” (Noah Rothman, “Chuck Schumer’s Problem Is with Israel, Not Netanyahu,” National Review, 3/14/2024)

·         “The critics of Israel in the Democratic camp won’t be satisfied with garment-rending appeals to the heavens for deliverance from Netanyahu’s leadership. The anti-Israel left doesn’t want new leadership in Israel; they want Biden to abandon Israel altogether. In that sense, Israel’s detractors have a better grasp on the political situation than the Democratic lawmakers who pander to them. Schumer’s problem isn’t with Bibi. It is with the people of Israel, who stubbornly refuse to submit to their own murder, torture, and perpetual besiegement.” (Noah Rothman, “Chuck Schumer’s Problem Is with Israel, Not Netanyahu,” National Review, 3/14/2024)

·         “Support for Israel remains a majority proposition in this country, but you wouldn’t know it from how Democrats talk about the nation, its government, or its just war of self-defense. In the hall of mirrors Democrats inhabit, a decidedly unsympathetic and numerically modest contingent of Israel critics dominate their field of vision.” (Noah Rothman, “Chuck Schumer’s Problem Is with Israel, Not Netanyahu,” National Review, 3/14/2024)

FLASHBACK: Senate Democrats Once Denounced Foreign Interference In Elections As ‘Disgraceful’ And ‘Repugnant’

SCHUMER: “[F]oreign interference in our elections cannot be ignored…. [The Secretary of State] must make clear that the cost of trying to interfere with American elections will be dear. [The Secretary] must deliver a shot across the bow to Putin and any other foreign adversary that would dare think about trying to influence our elections. Anything less from … will be a failure of diplomacy.” (Sen. Schumer, Remarks, 5/13/2019, Emphasis in original)

·         SCHUMER: “To say that it’s okay for foreign countries to interfere in our elections, with motives that are not what’s in the interest of the American people—disgraceful. Shocking.” (Sen. Schumer, Remarks, 6/13/2019)

·         SCHUMER: “When I studied our constitution in high school and college, when we learned that one of the greatest threats our Founding Fathers feared was foreign interference in our elections – I said at the time, ‘Why did they care about this? This hasn’t happened in any real sense.’ But of course, once again, we have learned how the wisdom of the Founding Fathers is relevant to this very day. If a foreign country can actually affect our elections, Americans will lose faith in our democracy – this grand and wonderful democracy.” (Sen. Schumer, Weekly Democratic Address, 10/11/2019)

·         SCHUMER:  “That any country could be meddling in our elections should shake both political parties to their core…” (“Schumer Demands Congressional Inquiry On Russian Meddling,” Politico, 12/10/2016)

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): “That is why the notion that some other nation would interfere in our election is so repugnant. The thought that the American people would not have the last word, that there would be other factors and other people, other countries engaged in our election, is as reprehensible under our Constitution as any concept I can think of.” (Sen. Durbin, Congressional Record, S.5638, 9/24/2019)

·         DURBIN: “The success of our democracy depends on the idea that every vote counts—and that our elections will be safe from foreign interference.” (Sen. Durbin, @DickDurbin, Twitter, 8/29/2019)

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): “Fundamental to our democracy and our founding fathers was this simple idea that we would determine our fate in America. That we would not let foreign powers influence our elections. That is what this is about. It’s about protecting our election hardware and infrastructure, but it is also about protecting us from this disinformation campaign. All of this really bad stuff and I don’t think my colleagues are interested in protecting the big social media companies, I hope this isn’t their goal. I hope that their goal is to protect Americans so that they can determine their own fate in an election.” (Sen. Klobuchar, Remarks, 10/23/2019)

·         KLOBUCHAR: “This is not about one election or one party; it is about our democracy. We need to be a united front in fighting against those who interfere with our democracy, and we must do everything in our power to prevent foreign interference from ever happening again.” (Sen. Klobuchar, Congressional Record, S.4481, 6/25/2019)

SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): “I believe that this country is a country of laws, that our elections must be completely free from foreign interference, and that every elected official should ensure that these fundamental principles come before party or partisanship as this process moves forward.” (Sen. Murray, Congressional Record, S.5863, 10/17/2019)

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): “I fear the Senate is about to fail once again to protect our elections from foreign interference.” (“Warner Vows Defense Bill Fight on Foreign Election Interference,” Bloomberg News, 6/30/2020)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): “Disinformation and online foreign interference erode our democracy …” (Sen. Warren, @ewarren, Twitter, 1/29/2020)

SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-RI): “[T]he best measure of our success in Congress will be an America defended against foreign election interference …” (Sen. Whitehouse, Congressional Record, S.97, 1/09/2018)