In a speech on a Senate floor on Thursday, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an “obstacle to peace” in the Middle East who has “lost his way by allowing his political survival to take the precedence over the best interests of Israel.” Schumer, the highest elected Jewish official in the U.S., said Israel should hold elections when the war against Hamas “starts to wind down.”

Video Transcript

CHUCK SCHUMER: The fourth major obstacle to peace is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has all too frequently bowed to the demands of extremists like Mr. Smotrich and Ben Gvir and the settlers in the West Bank. I have known Prime Minister Netanyahu for a very long time. While we have vehemently disagreed on many occasions, I will always respect his extraordinary bravery for Israel on the battlefield as a younger man. I believe in his heart, he has his highest priority is as– is the security of Israel.

However, I also believe Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take the precedence over the best interests of Israel. He has put himself in coalition with far-right– far-right extremists like Minister Smotrich and Ben Gvir. And as a result, he has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows. Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.

As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel 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. Nobody expects Prime Minister Netanyahu to do the things that must be done to break the cycle of violence, to preserve Israel’s credibility on the world stage, and to work towards a two-state solution.

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 at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government. I also believe a majority of the Israeli public will recognize the need for change. And I believe that holding a new election, once the war starts to wind down, would give Israelis an opportunity to express their vision for the post-war future.

Of course, the United States cannot dictate the outcome of an election. Nor should we try. That is for the Israeli public to decide, a public that I believe understands better than anybody that Israel cannot hope to succeed as a pariah opposed by the rest of the world.