Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has reportedly denied Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to address the Senate Democratic Caucus and update them on the progress of the war against Hamas.
A spokesperson for Mr. Schumer confirmed the news to the media and said the meeting request was rejected because the discussion shouldn’t be made a partisan issue.
“Sen. Schumer made it clear that he does not think these discussions should happen in a partisan manner. That’s not helpful to Israel,” the spokesperson said.
Democrats have been increasingly critical of Mr. Netanyahu and the Israeli government for its ongoing war against the Hamas terrorist group and the resulting death toll. To date, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry estimates that more than 31,000 people have been killed during the fighting in the Gaza Strip—an estimate that doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians. More than 1,200 people were killed in Israel and about 240 were taken hostage during the initial assault by Hamas that sparked the conflict.
Mr. Schumer also addressed questions about Mr. Netanyahu on March 20, blaming the Israeli leader for any cracks in U.S. solidarity with his government.
“When you make these issues partisan, you hurt the cause of Israel,” he said.
Mr. Netanyahu was granted a virtual closed-door meeting with Republican senators on March 20. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told the media that Mr. Netanyahu delivered a presentation about the status of the war against Hamas and answered questions. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a press conference after the meeting that he was considering inviting Mr. Netanyahu to address Congress.
Schumer Calls for New Elections in Israel, Criticizes Netanyahu
Mr. Schumer has recently become increasingly critical of Mr. Netanyahu. Speaking on the Senate floor, he said during a March 14 speech that Mr. Netanyahu had “lost his way” and was one of several “major obstacles” to peace in the region.“I believe in his heart his highest priority is the security of Israel. 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,” Mr. Schumer said.
Last week, he also called on Israel to hold new elections. He criticized the prime minister for the high civilian death toll in Gaza and said Mr. Netanyahu was among a group of politicians and groups undermining efforts to implement a two-state solution to the crisis between Israel and Palestine. A two-state solution refers to establishing an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel.
Mr. Netanyahu fired back during a March 17 appearance on CNN, calling Mr. Schumer’s request “totally inappropriate.”
“It’s inappropriate to go to a sister democracy and try to replace the elected leadership there. That’s something that the Israeli public does on its own. We are not a banana republic,” he said.
“I think the only government that we should be working on to bring down now is the terrorist tyranny in Gaza, the Hamas tyranny that murdered over 1,000 Israelis, including some dozens of Americans, and is holding Americans and Israelis hostage, that’s what we should be focused on.”
