President Joe Biden on Friday praised Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in a speech Thursday in which he called for re-election in Israel to replace warring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden answered reporters’ questions about his speech while hosting Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at the White House.
He said: “Senator Schumer informed my staff and senior staff that he was going to give that speech, but he, I’m not going to go into detail about that speech. He gave a good speech. And he… I think he expressed serious concerns that not only he shares, but many Americans share.”
As Breitbart News reported, Mr. Schumer took to the Senate floor on Thursday to demand that Israel hold new elections to replace Mr. Netanyahu, whom the majority leader called an “obstacle to peace.”
The speech was unpopular in Israel, where Prime Minister Netanyahu and some (but not all) of his political opponents seek to interfere with Israel’s democracy, especially in the midst of a war with a genocidal terrorist enemy. criticized Schumer’s efforts.
Benny Gantz, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s main rival, Said: “Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is a friend of Israel and has been very helpful to her in recent days, but what he said was wrong. Israel is a strong democracy and It is only the people who decide their leadership and future. Outside interference in this matter is inaccurate and unacceptable.”
Schumer’s speech came days after Biden told MSNBC that Netanyahu would “hurt” Israel more than “help.”
These comments were made in the wake of Gantz’s visit to Washington, but reportedly did not have Netanyahu’s permission.
Later, reports emerged that US intelligence agencies said they “hope” the protests will overthrow Prime Minister Netanyahu and force new elections.
A senior Israeli official responded to these reports by suggesting that Biden should defeat Hamas, not Netanyahu.
But this week, reports surfaced that the Biden administration is making “slow progress” in providing arms to Israel, likely due to the support of left-wing Democrats, Arab Americans, and Muslim Americans in key battleground states. This is likely to appease voters’ demands for a ceasefire and an arms embargo. 2024 presidential election.
Senate Democrats also argued that billions of dollars in emergency military aid to Israel should only be passed if it is accompanied by aid to Ukraine, among other spending priorities. is refusing to pass.
A shortage of ammunition means Israel could lose the war with Hamas and be unable to fight Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist organization that has been shelling northern Israel intermittently since October. do.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed in recent days that only Israeli voters have the right to choose their elected leaders.
Ironically, Prime Minister Netanyahu has rebounded in polls among some Israeli voters and is outperforming his closest rival as prime minister.
Despite Biden’s claim that Schumer’s position is shared by “many Americans,” a recent Harvard-Harris University poll suggested Netanyahu held the opposite view. favorably According to American voters, a majority of American voters support Netanyahu and support his approach to war over Biden.
there were report The White House said it had tried to distance itself from Schumer’s comments after his remarks, but President Biden’s statement on Friday showed the White House fully supports calls for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s ouster. It shows.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He is the author of the recent book, The Zionist Conspiracy (And How to Participate in It), now available on Audible. He is also the author of an e-book. Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
