“Squad” member Rep. Jamal Bowman on Saturday denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “lunatic” while branding the Israeli prime minister an obstacle to peace in the Gaza Strip and calling for re-election in Israel. He supported the senator’s call.
Mr. Bowman (D-N.Y.), who has staunchly supported a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, called Mr. Schumer “100%” as the Senate majority leader called for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s removal as the Palestinian death toll rose. %,” he said. .
“We have a humanitarian crisis. Much of Gaza has already been destroyed by this act of collective punishment by this lunatic Benjamin Netanyahu,” Bowman told MSNBC on Saturday.
“I agree with Sen. Schumer 100%. He needs to be removed. He is blocking the path to peace. And we need a ceasefire now.”
Earlier this month, Schumer (D-N.Y.), the highest-ranking Jewish lawmaker elected in the United States, took to the Senate floor and said, “After October 7, the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits Israel’s needs.” he declared.
Schumer also claimed that Netanyahu is an obstacle to peace in the region.
All this comes against a backdrop of growing anxiety over the escalating war in the Gaza Strip, sparked by a bloody surprise terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023 that killed 1,200 Israelis.
President Biden has given the go-ahead for new weapons shipments to Israel, despite his recent confrontation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Military officials said the shipment included 20 F-35 fighter jets, 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs.
Bowman criticized the administration for its move to send weapons to conflict zones amid a humanitarian crisis.
“We should have notified Congress and forgotten about politics. This is about our humanity, this is about our morality,” Bowman said.
“Hundreds of thousands of children are starving to death in Gaza as we speak. The vast majority of Americans support a permanent ceasefire.”
Efforts to get additional aid to Israel through Congress have stalled amid an impasse over aid to Ukraine.
Democrats are demanding that the two issues be combined to ensure Kiev gets funding for its war against Russia.
Bowman, 47, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2020.
He, like many other members of the “Squad,” faces an intense primary election ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
Last week, the Jewish Democratic Council of America endorsed George Latimer, who is running against Bowman in New York’s 16th Congressional District.
The newspaper has reached out to Latimer’s camp for comment.
Top Democrats, including Biden and Schumer, are trying to make overtures to progressives upset by the Palestinian death toll.
Last month, more than 100,000 leftists in Michigan wrote “irresponsible” messages to protest Biden’s support for Israel during the Democratic presidential primary.
