DID THE US SENATE DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER HAVE A COME TO JESUS MOMMENT?

 While this Blog is adverse (allergic) to politics, this story could have a major influence on the Gaza situation, in the near future, hopefully.  Therefore, it is a social concern.  At present, it appears Schumer is the only adult in the room within the Political Leadership!

 

 Selected quoted paragraphs are shown below.

"Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called on Israel to hold new elections, saying he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "lost his way" and is an obstacle to peace in the region amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Schumer, the first Jewish majority leader in the Senate and the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S., strongly criticized Netanyahu in a 40-minute speech Thursday morning on the Senate floor. Schumer said the prime minister has put himself in a coalition of far-right extremists 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," Schumer said."

Schumer has so far positioned himself as a strong ally of the Israeli government, visiting the country just days after the brutal Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and giving a lengthy speech on the Senate floor in December decrying "brazen and widespread antisemitism the likes of which we haven't seen in generations in this country, if ever."

But he said on the Senate floor Thursday that the "Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past."

Schumer says Netanyahu, who has long opposed Palestinian statehood, is one of several obstacles in the way of the two-state solution pushed by the United States. Netanyahu "has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel," Schumer said.

The majority leader is also blaming right-wing Israelis, Hamas and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Until they are all removed from the equation, Schumer said, "there will never be peace in Israel and Gaza and the West Bank."

The United States cannot dictate the outcome of an election in Israel, Schumer said, but "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."

Protesters in Israel calling for early elections have charged that Netanyahu is making decisions based on keeping his right-wing coalition intact rather than Israel's interests at a time of war. And they say he is endangering Israel's strategic alliance with the United States by rejecting U.S. proposals for a post-war vision for Gaza in order to appease the far-right members of his government.

Schumer said that as the highest ranking Jewish elected official in the United States, he feels an obligation to speak out. He said his last name derives from the Hebrew word Shomer, or "guardian."

"I also feel very keenly my responsibility as Shomer Yisroel — a guardian of the People of Israel," he said.

Schumer said that if Israel tightens its control over Gaza and the West Bank and creates a "de facto single state," then there should be no reasonable expectation that Hamas and their allies will lay down arms. It could mean constant war, he said.

"As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may," Schumer said. "But the important thing is that Israelis are given a choice."

The Democratic Party has an anti-Israel problem, McConnell [Senate Minority Leader] said. "Either we respect their decisions or we disrespect their democracy," he said.

And at a House GOP retreat in West Virginia, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called Schumer's speech "inappropriate.""

SourceAssociated Press

 

https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/303972-top-democrat-schumer-calls-for-new-elections-says-netanyahu-obstacle-to-peace 

 

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