Netanyahu, Israeli FM, US Senate Majority Leader Spar Over Israeli Election Comments
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on multiple American cable news networks on Sunday evening to rebuke US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s earlier public comments calling for new Israeli elections amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
The Israeli premier, who appeared visibly frustrated in an interview with CNN that evening, referred to Schumer’s suggestion for new Israeli elections as “totally inappropriate,” chiding that Israel was not a “banana democracy” and that its citizens would choose their own leadership.
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Netanyahu would go on to cite polling data to highlight that the policies of his wartime unity government remain popular among Israelis and that his cabinet’s popular mandate remains intact.
Schumer’s election comments, which were backed by US President Joe Biden, also drew criticism from Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Monday. Speaking to Israeli public broadcaster Kan, Katz called Schumer’s statement “unacceptable” but said that the senator is nonetheless “a friend of Israel.”
Katz also downplayed reports that Israel and the US were significantly divided on the former’s planned invasion of Rafah, indicating the two governments were largely aligned on the issue and the need for a large-scale civilian evacuation to the west.
Former US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides also made a media appearance to deflate the ballooning tension between the White House and Netanyahu. Nides told Army Radio that Schumer is “a true Zionist” but “has the right to say what he believes, and Israelis will decide how and when they want elections.”
