U.S. President Joe Biden continued to publicly criticize Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday when he praised a speech from Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, that was highly critical of Israeli leadership.
Biden said Schumer gave a “good speech” and added that the senator “expressed a serious concern shared not only by him but by many Americans,” Knewz.com has learned.
The president told reporters that he would not elaborate on the details of the speech beyond the simple support for Schumer’s comments.
Schumer, who is Jewish, spent the first portion of the speech outlining his support for the state of Israel and his acceptance that enemies surround the country before saying the nation “must make some significant course corrections.”
The senator then outlined four obstacles to peace in Gaza, which he said were radical right-wingers in Israel; Hamas and the Palestinians who support them; Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas; and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I also believe Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel,” said Schumer.
He accused Netanyahu of weakening “Israel’s political and moral fabric through his attempts to co-opt the judiciary” and said he has failed to make courageous efforts to pursue peace.
“Nobody expects Prime Minister Netanyahu to do the things that must be done to break the cycle of violence, preserve Israel’s credibility on the world stage, and work towards a two-state solution,” he said.
Schumer then said that it is now time for Israel to hold elections and, if Netanyahu wins again, to “play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course.”
Biden said that Schumer had provided the White House with advanced notice of the speech.
Last week, Biden said Netanyahu is doing more harm than good to Israel, and he expressed frustration about Israel’s leader on a hot mic following his State of the Union address.
As support for Netanyahu from Democrats has frayed, Republicans have offered their vocal support for Israel’s current policies.
Mitch McConnel, the senate minority leader, said, “The primary’ obstacles to peace’ in Israel’s region are genocidal terrorists like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad who slaughter innocent people and corrupt leaders of the Palestinian Authority who have repeatedly rejected peace deals from multiple Israeli governments.”
He added, “It is grotesque and hypocritical for Americans who hyperventilate about foreign interference in our own democracy to call for the removal of the democratically elected leader of Israel.”
Bernie Sanders, who is also Jewish, pointed out that the U.S. provides Israel with $3.5 billion a year in aid, meaning Israel’s leadership affects America as well.
On March 15, the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, the White House released a statement that read, “We recognize the violence and hate that Muslims worldwide too often face because of their religious beliefs — and the ugly resurgence of Islamophobia in the wake of the devastating war in Gaza.”
The post Biden Supports Schumer Speech That Called For New Elections In Israel appeared first on Knewz.
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Author: Kevin McSpadden
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