‘There Needs To Be a Fresh Debate About the Future of Israel’
It's time for Netanyahu to go, Senate majority leader says
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is declaring that it’s time for new elections in Israel and move past the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
If Netanyahu and his allies remain in power, continuing their campaign of killing Palestinian civilians, the United States will have to take steps on its own to ensure a two-state solution is achieved for the Palestinians, Schumer said Thursday.
The New York Democrat’s remarks on the Senate floor are the strongest rebuke yet of Israel by a top US official since the Jewish state began military operations in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.
Although President Biden and other top US officials stood steadfast with Israel after October 7, that support has begun to waver as the numbers of Palestinian civilians have mounted and Israel has begun to be accused of genocide in the international community and Netanyahu’s government seems unwilling to follow through on commitments to establish a separate Palestinian state in what is known as a “two-state solution.”
More than 31,000 Palestinians — including thousands of women and young children —have been killed by the Israeli military since Israel's retaliation for the Hamas attacks began.
“On the Israeli side, the U.S. government should demand that Israel conduct itself with a future two-state solution in mind. We should not be forced into a position of unequivocally supporting the actions of an Israeli government that include bigots who reject the idea of a Palestinian state,” Schumer said. “Israel is a democracy. Five months into this conflict, it is clear that Israelis need to take stock of the situation and ask, ‘Must we change course?’ 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.
“I also believe a majority of the Israeli public will recognize the need for change. And I believe that holding a new election — once the war starts to wind down — would give Israelis an opportunity to express their vision for the post-war future,” Schumer added. “Of course, the United States cannot dictate the outcome of an election. Nor should we try. That is for the Israeli public to decide, a public that I believe understands better than anybody, that Israel cannot hope to succeed as a pariah, opposed by the rest of the world.
“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,” he said. “There needs to be a fresh debate about the future of Israel after October 7. In my opinion, that is best accomplished by holding an election.”
If Netanyahu’s government remains in power “and continues to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing U.S. standards for assistance,” then the United States will have to take unilateral steps, Schumer said.
“The United States’ bond with Israel is unbreakable, but if extremists continue to unduly influence Israeli policy, then the administration should use the tools at its disposal to make sure our support for Israel is aligned with our broader goal of achieving long-term peace and stability in the region,” he said. “I believe this would make a lasting two-state solution more likely.”
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