The Times of Israel is liveblogging Tuesday’s events as they happen.
Ex-PM Olmert hails Schumer’s ‘courage’ for urging elections to replace Netanyahu
Former premier Ehud Olmert has sent a letter to US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, hailing his speech calling for Israel to hold early elections to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Calling Schumer “a great friend of Israel,” Olmert praises the New York Democrat “for the courage that you have showed in saying so many of us Jews across the world and traditional supporters of Israel feel today.”
“Indeed, the prime minister of Israel is not worthy of the responsibilities bestowed upon him,” adds Olmert, who has long been a vocal critic of Netanyahu.
While opposing major Rafah op, Biden says he told Netanyahu ‘Israel has a right to go after Hamas’
US President Joe Biden puts out a statement on X regarding his phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I continued to affirm that Israel has a right to go after Hamas, a group of terrorists responsible for the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Biden says. “And I reiterated the need for an immediate ceasefire as part of a deal to free hostages, lasting several weeks, so we can get hostages home and surge aid to civilians in Gaza.”
Biden says he also asked Netanyahu “to send a team to Washington to discuss ways to target Hamas without a major ground operation in Rafah.
Today, I spoke again with Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding the latest developments in Israel and Gaza.
I continued to affirm that Israel has a right to go after Hamas, a group of terrorists responsible for the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
And I… pic.twitter.com/pRf9b0VE91
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 19, 2024
US says it destroyed Houthi anti-ship missiles, drones and weapons storage containers
The US military says it destroyed seven anti-ship missiles, three drones and three weapons storage containers in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
“It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region,” the US military’s Central Command says in a statement on the social media site X.
Syria reports Israeli strikes in Damascus countryside resulting in ‘material losses’
Citing a military source, Syria’s state news agency says Israel struck a number of targets in the Damascus countryside.
The SANA report claims that Syrian air defenses intercepted a number of Israeli missiles and that the strikes resulted in only “material losses.”
Schumer hits back at Trump, says ‘working in a bipartisan way to ensure’ enduring US-Israel ties
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hits back at former president Donald Trump, after the presumptive Republican nominee accused the New York Democrat of turning on Israel and claimed American Jews who vote Democratic “hate their religion” and “hate everything about Israel.”
“To make Israel a partisan issue only hurts Israel and the US-Israeli relationship,” Schumer writes on X. “Trump is making highly partisan and hateful rants.”
“I am working in a bipartisan way to ensure the US-Israeli relationship sustains for generations to come, buoyed by peace in the Middle East.”
Explosions in Damascus area reported by pro-Iranian TV station
Pro-Iranian Lebanese Mayadeen television station says explosions were heard in the vicinity of the Syrian capital Damascus.
It gives no further details, but the Syrian army said on Sunday that Israel had hit areas in southern parts of the country.
Trump: Jews who vote for Democrats ‘hate their religion, hate everything about Israel’
Former US president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says, “Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion. They hate everything about Israel and they should be ashamed of themselves.”
The remarks on a podcast interview with his former far-right adviser Sebastian Gorka come a day after Trump criticized Israel for trying to maintain ties with the Democratic party, which is “very bad for Israel.”
Trump is again asked about Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s speech last week in which he called for early elections in Israel to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I actually think they hate Israel,” Trump says, reiterating his belief that Schumer used to be pro-Israel and has turned on Jerusalem in pursuit of votes.
He claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to the US “crying [and] begging” then-president Barack Obama not to sign a nuclear deal with Iran in 2015. Trump boasts having pulled out of the deal three years later but laments that “they didn’t do anything with the ending of it.” The Biden administration has blasted Trump for withdrawing from the accord, arguing that it left no curbs on Iran’s nuclear production which has accelerated significantly since.
“They’re very close to getting a nuclear weapon right now, and once they have that it becomes a… much more difficult negotiation,” Trump warns.
While he has criticized Schumer for his speech, Trump himself has made some highly critical remarks about Netanyahu. Recalling how the Israeli premier congratulated Biden for winning the 2020 election, Trump told an Israeli reporter, “f**k him,” in reference to Netanyahu. He has also blasted the prime minister in campaign events for allegedly pulling out of commitments to help the US assassinate top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
Part 3 of Donald Trump's Interview on #AMERICAFirst
Why Do Democrats Hate Israel? pic.twitter.com/IL80KVfh7m
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) March 18, 2024
Gantz speaks with Trudeau, warns against Canadian recognition of Palestinian state
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed concern around Israel’s planned offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in a call with war cabinet member Benny Gantz, Trudeau’s office says in a statement.
“The Prime Minister shared his concern around Israel’s planned offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and the severe humanitarian implications for all civilians taking refuge in the area,” Trudeau’s office says in a statement.
“He underscored the need to increase the volume of life-saving humanitarian aid for civilians and to ensure aid reaches all those in need, safely and without delay.”
In comments on X, formerly Twitter, Gantz says he thanked Trudeau “for his personal commitment to Israel’s security”
“In light of the upcoming vote in Canada’s parliament calling for the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, I expressed that unilateral recognition, particularly following the 7th of October, is counter-productive to the mutual goal of long-term regional security and stability, and would ultimately reward terrorism,” Gantz says.
He adds that he stressed to Trudeau “that for the sake of the region, any unilateral actions should be avoided.”