Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said that Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was a major obstacle to peace in the Middle East and called for elections to replace him.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel,” Schumer said today in a speech on the Senate floor. “He has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows. Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.”

Schumer’s speech was the sharpest critique yet of Netanyahu from a senior American elected official. It reflects growing dissatisfaction among Democrats, particularly progressives, with Israel’s conduct in the war and the conflict’s toll on Palestinian civilians, which has created a strategic and political dilemma for President Biden.

Republicans have tried to capitalize on that dynamic for an electoral advantage. Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, called Schumer’s actions “unprecedented,” and accused Democrats of having “an anti-Israel problem.”