Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for an election in Israel to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the US’ most vocal opposition of the prime minister since October 7 during remarks Thursday from the Senate floor.
Schumer attacked Netanyahu, linking his reign over the Israeli government as one of four main obstacles to achieving peace, the others being Hamas and their supporters, Israel’s radical right-wing government, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
“These are the four obstacles to peace. And if we fail to overcome them, then Israel and the West Bank and Gaza will be trapped in the same violent state of affairs they’ve experienced for the last 75 years,” Schumer said.
The US government should demand that Israel conduct itself with a future two-state solution in mind, Schumer said. “We should not be forced into a position of unequivocally supporting the actions of an Israeli government that includes bigots who reject the idea of a Palestinian state,” he said.
“I have known Prime Minister Netanyahu for a very long time. While we have vehemently disagreed on many occasions, I will always respect his extraordinary bravery for Israel on the battlefield as a younger man. I believe in his heart, he has his highest priority as is the security of Israel, Schumer said. “However, I also believe Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel,” Schumer said.
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, Schumer said.
“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. There needs to be a fresh debate about the future of Israel after October 7,” Schumer said. “In my opinion, that is best accomplished by holding an election.”
If Netanyahu’s current coalition remains in power after the war against Hamas and continues to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing US standards for assistance, then the US will have no choice but to play a more active role in shaping Israel’s policy by using its leverage to change the present course, 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,” Schumer added.
Global support for Israel will continue to get worse if the Israeli government continues moving toward a single state entirely under its control, Schumer said.
A demilitarized Palestinian state is only real solution, Schumer says
“As the highest ranking Jewish elected official in our government and as a staunch defender of Israel, I rise today to say unequivocally, this is a grave mistake for Israel, for Palestinians, for the region, and for the world,” Schumer said. “The only real and sustainable solution to this decades-old conflict is a negotiated two-state solution, a demilitarized Palestinian state, living side by side with Israel in equal measures of peace, security, prosperity, dignity, and mutual recognition.”
Both Jews and Palestinians have long, historical claims to this land, Schumer said, contrary to the “unfounded, absurd and offensive claims by some of the Jewish people are colonizers in their ancestral homes.” But Palestinians have lived on the land for generations, Schumer said, and in past centuries, have formed their own culture, identity, cuisine, and literature.
הדברים האלה של צ’אק שומר הם מכה אישית קשה לנתניהו. שומר והוא חברים עשרות שנים. שומר הוא לא אילהן עומאר ולא רשידה טלייב. הוא המרכז של המרכז במפלגה הדמוקרטית. הוא פשוט מתגרש מנתניהו בקטע הזה, ומזהיר שישראל לא תשרוד כמדינה מצורעת. pic.twitter.com/2yAnvCJIoT
— נדב איל Nadav Eyal (@Nadav_Eyal) March 14, 2024
The only solution to this predicament is one in which each person can flourish in their own state, side by side, Schumer said. Though for a two state solution to work in the long term, it has to include real and meaningful compromises by both sides, Schumer said.
“For example, too many Israelis who say they want a two-state solution don’t acknowledge how the amount and extent of expanding settlements render that a virtual impossibility. And too many Palestinians who say they want a two-state solution don’t acknowledge how their insistence on an unequivocal right of return is a fatal impediment,” Schumer said.
Hamas can not have any role in the future of Gaza if peace is to be achieved, Schumer said. Any proposal that leaves Hamas with meaningful power is unacceptable, he said. Schumer also said the Palestinian people must reject Hamas and their extremism.
“Once a monster is deprived of power, the Palestinians will be much freer to choose a government they want and deserve. With the prospect of a real two-state solution on the table and for the first time genuine statehood for the Palestinian people, I believe they will be far more likely to support more mainstream leaders committed to peace,” Schumer said.
“I think the same is true for the Israeli people. Call me an optimist, but I believe that if the Israeli public is presented with a path to a two-state solution that offers a chance at lasting peace and coexistence, then most mainstream Israelis will moderate their views and support it.”
Schumer directly attacked Netanyahu’s allies, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Minister of National Security Itmar Ben- Gvir for their inflammatory rhetoric calling for punitive restrictions on farmers in the West Bank during the olive harvest and preventing the transfer of funds to the PA. Schumer also criticized the right-wing leader’s opposition to providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
“There’s a nastiness to what ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir believe, and how they use their positions of authority and influence an eagerness to inflame and provoke that is profoundly honest,” he said. “These people do not represent a majority of the Israeli public, yet under Prime Minister Netanyahu whose watch they have had far too much influence.
“All sides must reject thinking ‘from river to the sea thinking,’ and I believe they will if the prospects for peace and a two-state solution are real,” Schumer said no true progress will be made to end settler violence in the West Bank as long as Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are in power.
Schumer also called on mainstream Arab states Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Jordan to use their power and influence with the Palestinians to deploy their clout, money, and diplomacy to support a new demilitarized Palestinian state that rejects terror and violence. He called on these nations to continue pursuing normalization with Israel.
Schumer said he believes there’s enough strength in the Arab world to get President Abbas to step down and support a gradual succession plan for responsible Palestinian leaders to take his place.
The US can be a partner in the grand bargain in the Middle East by deepening its relationship with the Saudis and other Arab nations to induce them to make a deal only if they actively guide Palestinians to a more peaceful future.
“Recent talks between Arab and American leaders suggest the desire is stronger than ever. Now, to find a path forward, Arab leaders cannot lose their stomachs for peace,” Schumer said. Now, with this critical inflection point, they must continue to pursue the path to normalization with Israel. The US should use all of its power to influence them, bring them to the table, and make them cooperate constructively.
Schumer cited Israeli and Arab leaders in previous generations who were staunch advocates for peace, such as David Ben Gurion and Salam Fayyad, the former PA prime minister.
“After Israelis and Palestinians have experienced so much horror and loss of life, to not have something meaningful come out of this war to be doubly tragic,” Schumer said. “History will look back on what we do here. Are we prepared together to have the courage to make an all out push to bring about peace once and for all?”
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