Former Sen. Joe Lieberman on Sunday criticized Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for calling for an election to replace Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling the New York Democrat’s comments “outrageous.”
“I thought the statements he made this week were… wrong. I can’t remember anything like this ever,” Lieberman told host John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM’s “Cats Roundtable.” told.
Mr. Lieberman, 82, is a former Democratic senator from Connecticut who became an independent before retiring in 2013, when then-Vice President Al Gore nominated him as his running mate in 2000. He became the first Jewish American to be a presidential candidate.
“It’s outrageous for a U.S. senator — much less for the majority leader — for the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in Washington to say it’s time for Israel to get rid of Netanyahu.” Lieberman said of Schumer.
In an extraordinary speech on the Senate floor Thursday, Schumer, 73, called for “new elections” in Israel after the end of the war between the Jewish state and Hamas, which has raged in Gaza and the West Bank since Oct. 7. I called out.
“As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it became clear after October 7 that the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits Israel’s needs,” Schumer said, adding that the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, which originated in Israel, Touched on the day of the massacre. war.
Schumer singled out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “radical” members of the Security Cabinet as “obstacles” to peace.
His comments come amid growing criticism from progressives in the Democratic Party that Israel has not done more to minimize Palestinian civilian casualties as it seeks to eradicate Hamas. joined.
The Senate Democratic leader’s comments drew swift and strong condemnation from Republicans and Israeli leaders alike, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself, who on Sunday hit back at Schumer’s “totally inappropriate” speech.
“I think what he said was completely inappropriate,” Netanyahu said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” saying it was inappropriate to go to sister democracies and try to replace elected leaders there. He said.
“That’s what it is. [the] The people of Israel act independently. We are not a banana republic. ”
Lieberman added: “Can you imagine Senator Schumer or anyone in the US government saying to the British people, ‘We don’t like your prime minister?'” It’s really time for you to dump him. ” Oh my god, everyone around me would be furious.
“It’s a bad precedent to say to your friend and ally, your democratic ally, ‘Get rid of this government.’ We don’t like him,” the former senator said.
President Biden praised Schumer on Friday, telling reporters that the Democrat gave a “good speech” in an Oval Office meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.
As the presidential election season gets into full swing, Biden is under increasing pressure at home over his handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Pole The Wall Street Journal announced last week It found that 60% of voters disapprove of the way Biden is handling the war.
Asked about Schumer’s speech by Fox News Media Buzz host Howard Kurtz on Sunday, Donald Trump said: broke the Democratic record About Israel.
“Democrats are very bad for Israel,” said the former president, now considered the Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election. “Israel is sticking with them. Israel is sticking with them, so I think maybe to a fault, but loyal. Biden is a very bad person for Israel.”
