Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for new elections in Israel, arguing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost his way” and that “radical right-wing Israelis” pose a threat to a two-state solution with the occupied Palestinian territories, which Schumer argued is the “only real and sustainable solution.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., argued Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poses a threat to the ... [+]
Schumer, who is Jewish, said in a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday that Netanyahu has “lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel,” arguing that Netanyahu has instead leaned into the “interests of far-right extremists.”
The New York Democrat also argued Netanyahu has become “too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows”—the death toll in the Gaza Strip has surpassed 30,000 since Israel declared war on Hamas following Hamas’ attack on southern Israel, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Schumer also called for Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to step down in order to reach a solution to the conflict in Gaza, claiming Abbas and Netanyahu represent two major obstacles to obtaining a two-state solution, along with Hamas and “radical right-wing Israelis.”
“I will never underestimate the grave threats Israel faces and has faced for the entirety of its existence,” Schumer said Thursday morning, adding that “after five months of suffering on both sides of this conflict, our thinking must turn urgently to how we can achieve lasting peace for both the Jewish people and the Palestinian people in the Middle East.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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