Schumer: Netanyahu a major obstacle for peace, Israel must hold elections

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for an election in Israel to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an American official’s most vocal opposition of the prime minister since October 7.

Schumer said this during remarks he made on Thursday from the Senate floor. If things continue as is, he warned, the US would have to take a more active role to achieve long-term peace.

The Jewish democratic senator from New York attacked Netanyahu, linking his reign over the Israeli government as one of four main obstacles to achieving peace – the others being Hamas and their supporters, Israel’s radical right-wing government, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

“These are the four obstacles to peace. And if we fail to overcome them, then Israel and the West Bank and Gaza will be trapped in the same violent state of affairs they’ve experienced for the last 75 years,” Schumer said.

The US government should demand that Israel conduct itself with a future two-state solution in mind, he said. “We should not be forced into a position of unequivocally supporting the actions of an Israeli government that includes bigots who reject the idea of a Palestinian state.

“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 [that] in his heart, he has as his highest priority the security of Israel,” Schumer said. “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.”

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, the Senate majority leader said.

“As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may. But the important thing is that Israelis are given a choice. There needs to be a fresh debate about the future of Israel after October 7,” Schumer said. “In my opinion, that is best accomplished by holding an election.”

If Netanyahu’s current coalition remains in power after the war against Hamas and continues to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing US standards for assistance, then America will have no choice but to play a more active role in shaping Israel’s policy by using its leverage to change the present course, he said.

“The United States’ bond with Israel is unbreakable. But if extremists continue to unduly influence Israeli policy, then the administration should use the tools at its disposal to make sure our support for Israel is aligned with our broader goal of achieving long-term peace and stability in the region,” Schumer said.

Global support for Israel will continue to get worse if the Israeli government continues moving toward a single state entirely under its control, the senator said, adding that a demilitarized Palestinian state is the only real solution.

A demilitarized Palestinian state is the only real solution, Schumer says

“As the highest ranking Jewish elected official in our government and as a staunch defender of Israel, I rise today to say unequivocally: This is a grave mistake for Israel, for Palestinians, for the region, and for the world,” Schumer said. “The only real and sustainable solution to this decades-old conflict is a negotiated two-state solution, [including] a demilitarized Palestinian state, living side by side with Israel in equal measures of peace, security, prosperity, dignity, and mutual recognition.”

Both Jews and Palestinians have long, historical claims to this land, Schumer said, contrary to the “unfounded, absurd, and offensive claims by some that the Jewish people are colonizers in their ancestral homes.” But Palestinians have lived on the land for generations, he pointed out, and in past centuries, have formed their own culture, identity, cuisine, and literature.

הדברים האלה של צ'אק שומר הם מכה אישית קשה לנתניהו. שומר והוא חברים עשרות שנים. שומר הוא לא אילהן עומאר ולא רשידה טלייב. הוא המרכז של המרכז במפלגה הדמוקרטית. הוא פשוט מתגרש מנתניהו בקטע הזה, ומזהיר שישראל לא תשרוד כמדינה מצורעת. pic.twitter.com/2yAnvCJIoT

— נדב איל Nadav Eyal (@Nadav_Eyal) March 14, 2024

The only solution to this predicament is one in which each person can flourish in their state, side by side, Schumer said. For a two-state solution to work in the long term, it has to include real and meaningful compromises by both sides.

“For example, too many Israelis who say they want a two-state solution don’t acknowledge how the amount and extent of expanding settlements render that a virtual impossibility,” he said. “And too many Palestinians who say they want a two-state solution don’t acknowledge how their insistence on an unequivocal right of return is a fatal impediment.”

Hamas cannot have any role in the future of Gaza if peace is to be achieved, the Senate majority leader said, adding that any proposal that leaves Hamas with meaningful power is unacceptable – and that the Palestinian people must reject Hamas and its extremism.

“Once a monster is deprived of power, the Palestinians will be much freer to choose a government they want and deserve. With the prospect of a real two-state solution on the table and for the first time genuine statehood for the Palestinian people, I believe they will be far more likely to support more mainstream leaders committed to peace,” he said.

“I think the same is true for the Israeli people. Call me an optimist, but I believe that if the Israeli public is presented with a path to a two-state solution that offers a chance at lasting peace and coexistence, then most mainstream Israelis will moderate their views and support it.”

Schumer directly attacked Netanyahu’s allies, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, for their inflammatory rhetoric, which called for punitive restrictions on farmers in the West Bank during the olive harvest and prevented the transfer of funds to the PA. He also criticized the right-wing leader’s opposition to providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

“There’s a nastiness to what ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir believe, and how they use their positions of authority and influence and eagerness to inflame and provoke that is profoundly dishonest,” he said. “These people do not represent a majority of the Israeli public, yet under Prime Minister Netanyahu’s watch, they have had far too much influence.

“All sides must reject ‘from the river to the sea’ thinking, and I believe they will if the prospects for peace and a two-state solution are real,” Schumer said, adding that no true progress will be made to end settler violence in the West Bank as long as Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are in power.

The Jewish senator also called on moderate mainstream Arab states like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Jordan to use their power and influence with the Palestinians and to deploy their clout, money, and diplomacy to support a new demilitarized Palestinian state that rejects terror and violence. He called on these nations to continue pursuing normalization with Israel.

Schumer said he believes there’s enough strength in the Arab world to get President Abbas to step down and support a gradual succession plan for responsible Palestinian leaders to take his place.

The US can be a partner in the grand Middle East bargain by deepening its relationship with the Saudis and other Arab nations to induce them to make a deal only if they actively guide Palestinians to a more peaceful future.

“Recent talks between Arab and American leaders suggest the desire is stronger than ever. Now, to find a path forward, Arab leaders cannot lose their stomachs for peace,” he said. “Now, with this critical inflection point, they must continue to pursue the path to normalization with Israel. The US should use all of its power to influence them, bring them to the table, and make them cooperate constructively.”

Schumer cited Israeli and Arab leaders in previous generations who were staunch advocates for peace, such as David Ben-Gurion and Salam Fayyad, the former Israeli and PA prime ministers.

“After Israelis and Palestinians have experienced so much horror and loss of life, to not have something meaningful come out of this war is doubly tragic,” he said. “History will look back on what we do here. Are we prepared together to have the courage to make an all-out push to bring about peace once and for all?”

State Department Spokesperson Matt Miller emphasized Thursday afternoon that Schumer was not airing the Biden administration’s stance on Netanyahu and his government.

“Congress is an independent branch of government,” Miller said. “I think the Government of Israel understands quite well how the US government works. They interact frequently not just with members of the executive branch but with members of Congress, including Senator Schumer, who has traveled to Israel several times over the years. I’m sure they fully understand that he speaks for himself.”

Miller noted, as he has many times in briefings, that the Biden administration has made it clear to Netanyahu that they want things to be done differently.