On Thursday, Chuck Schumer, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being an obstacle to achieving peace in Gaza and called for elections to replace him.

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These statements mark the most critical message from a high-ranking Democrat against Netanyahu since the start of the Israeli offensive against Gaza in 2023.

“The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits Israel’s needs after October 7. The world has changed radically since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past,” said Schumer, the first Jew to lead the Senate majority caucus.

Netanyahu has “lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel,” Schumer said.

The Democratic senator also emphasized that “Netanyahu has aligned himself with ‘far-right extremists’ like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who he said are ‘pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows. Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah’,” NBC reported.

“Five months into this conflict, it is clear that Israelis need to take stock of the situation and ask, must we change course?… At this critical juncture, I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel,” Schumer stated.

U.S. President Joe Biden, who has continued to supply arms to Israel, has also pressured Netanyahu to safeguard the lives of Palestinian civilians. 

Currently, there is growing concern within the Democratic Party about the electoral impact that support for the Gaza war may have on the 2024 elections, in which Biden will seek reelection.

Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, criticized Schumer’s call for elections. “We cannot treat other democracies in this way,” he said, adding that the Democratic Party is “anti-Israeli”.

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