Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Senate Republicans on Wednesday that Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)’s demand for re-election in the Jewish state was “outrageous” and “totally inappropriate.” .
Netanyahu, 73, made the remarks in a video conference with Senate Republicans after the Senate Majority Leader’s remarks. rejected the Israeli prime minister’s request To get a chance to address Senate Democrats as well.
“I said I think Mr. Schumer’s comments were completely inappropriate,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri). told reporters, according to Politico. “Then he said, ‘I wish I could be more honest with you, but I thought they were outrageous.'”
“And he said, ‘Israel will never tell the United States how to run an election or who to elect, and no sovereign nation will.’ [allow] That kind of interference. ”
Schumer, who is Jewish, last week called for Israel’s “new elections” to replace Netanyahu once Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip “starts to wind down.”
The New York Democratic Party went on to denounce Prime Minister Netanyahu and the “radical” members of his security cabinet as “obstacles” to peace.
Asked why he opposed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s audience with Senate Democrats, Schumer told reporters: “When you make the issue partisan, you hurt the Israeli cause.”
Schumer continued to defend the anti-Netanyahu speech Wednesday.
“I gave this speech out of true love for Israel,” he said at a news conference. “As some of you may have read in the speech, we simply called for an election to be held after hostilities have subsided,” Schumer added.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters During the meeting, he “made it clear” to Netanyahu that “it is not the job of the United States to advise our democratic allies on when to hold elections or what military operations to conduct.” Stated.
Prime Minister Netanyahu told Republican senators that Israel would continue its efforts to eliminate Hamas and that a ground offensive on Rafah, on the southern edge of the 40-kilometre-long Gaza Strip, was necessary to achieve that goal. .
“He’s going to do what he said he was going to do. He’s going to get it done,” said Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho).
“We asked him for updates, and we got information about the war, hostage release, and efforts to defeat Hamas,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said of the meeting. “We told him that Israel has every right to defend itself, and he said that is exactly what Israel continues to do.”
Rishu, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Netanyahu was “sensitive” to civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and recognized the need for more humanitarian aid as the country entered the war zone. It pointed out.
“The prime minister is very sensitive to the fact that any civilian casualties are a very unfortunate event,” Rishu said, adding that Netanyahu is calling for a temporary pier to allow aid to flow in from the Mediterranean. He added that he was “very supportive” of the U.S. military’s efforts to build it. .
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel declared war on Hamas following the deadly Oct. 7 terrorist attack on the Jewish state, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. , the department does not distinguish between civilian deaths and terrorist deaths.
On October 7, Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,200 people, including 33 Americans, and captured hundreds of others. At least 130 people, including five Americans, are believed to remain detained in Gaza.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
