A version of this story appeared in the daily Threat Status newsletter from The Washington Times. Click here to receive Threat Status delivered directly to your inbox each weekday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several key Democrats traded broadsides Sunday in a rhetorical battle over the course of the war in Gaza.
Mr. Netanyahu, whose relations with the Biden administration have cooled noticeably as Palestinian civilian casualties have mounted, took strong exception to Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer’s speech saying it is time for the hawkish prime minister to step down and hold new elections.
“It is totally inappropriate,” Mr. Netanyahu said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It’s inappropriate to go to a sister democracy and try to replace the elected leadership there. That’s something the Israeli public does on its own.”
Mr. Netanyahu’s own political standing has crumbled since the surprise Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that resulted in 1,200 deaths and the capture of more than 200 hostages. Many in Israel predict the prime minister’s right-wing coalition would lose badly in any new vote.
“We’re not a banana republic,” said Mr. Netanyahu, who has argued any political fallout from Oct. 7 should be postponed until the fighting is over. “The people of Israel will choose when they will have elections, and who they’ll elect, and it’s not something that will be foisted on us.”
“The majority of Israelis support the policies of my government. It’s not a fringe government,” Mr. Netanyahu added. “If Sen. Schumer opposes these policies, he is not opposing me. He is opposing the people of Israel.”
But Mr. Schumer, whose anti-Netanyahu broadside received strong support from several prominent Democrats, wasn’t backing down Sunday.
“It’s a good thing that a serious discussion has now begun about how to ensure Israel’s future security and prosperity once Hamas has been defeated,” the New York Democrat’s office said Sunday in a statement.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who still serves in the House, offered Mr. Schumer some back-up, calling her colleague’s remarks “an act of courage.”
“The prime minister’s presentation proved the necessity of Chuck Schumer’s speech,” Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Chuck Schumer’s speech was an act of courage, an act of love for Israel.”
Mr. Schumer’s remarks “should be listened to because Israel’s reputation is at risk because of what is happening in Gaza,” she said.
SEE ALSO: Pelosi calls Senate Majority Leader Schumer’s Israel slam an ‘act of courage’
Signaling the divisive Middle East war could be a major campaign issue this fall, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump panned Mr. Schumer and his fellow Democrats for their attacks in recent days on Mr. Netanyahu. Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu worked closely together during Mr. Trump’s time in the White House.
“The Democrats are very bad for Israel. Israel sticks with them,” Mr. Trump told Fox News’ “MediaBuzz.” “I guess Israel is loyal, maybe to a fault, because they stick with these guys.”
Mr. Trump accused President Biden of bending to political pressure from the far left over concerns for the high death toll of Palestinian civilians and accused him of having “dumped” Israel, a longtime U.S. ally.
“[Biden] looks at, ‘Where do I get more votes?’ and I guess he’s seeing the Palestinians, and he’s seeing the marches, and they are big,” Mr. Trump said. “Then he says, ‘I want to go that way instead of Israel.’ I don’t know how Israel stays with these two people. I just don’t know.”
Mr. Biden himself has declined to condemn Mr. Schumer’s remarks when asked about them.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby, speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” said it is up to Israel to determine when to hold elections, but added that the president “recognizes that [Mr. Schumer] was speaking for a lot of Americans who feel the same way about the way the war’s going.”
Mr. Netanyahu reiterated Sunday in a Cabinet meeting that Israel is moving ahead with an assault on Hamas positions in the southern Gaza border town of Rafah, despite international warnings that the campaign risks creating even more casualties for civilians trapped in the crossfire.
Mr. Biden has said a Rafah assault would be a “red line for Washington” if Israeli forces failed to take active steps to limit collateral damage to civilians. Mr. Kirby said Sunday the U.S. government has not been told yet by the Netanyahu government how the Rafah assault will be conducted.
Israel has not abandoned diplomacy: A delegation of Israeli negotiators was in Qatar on Sunday for new indirect talks with Hamas officials on a cease-fire in Gaza that could also free many of the remaining 100 or so Israeli hostages held by the militant group that both the U.S. and Israel consider a terrorist organization.
While a deadline to cut a deal before the March 10 start of the Muslim observance of Ramadan failed to materialize, Hamas leaders are reportedly now considering a six-week cease-fire and hostage exchange deal, which would also allow larger shipments of humanitarian aid to reach the Palestinian enclave.
The fate of the Israeli hostages has been a particular political problem for Mr. Netanyahu at home.
And the U.S. isn’t the only ally pressing the Israeli government over its war plans and its vision of the future for Gaza
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who traveled to Jerusalem for talks with Mr. Netanyahu on Sunday, told reporters after their meeting: “The more desperate the situation of people in Gaza becomes, the more this begs the question: No matter how important the goal, can it justify such terribly high costs, or are there other ways to achieve your goal?”
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.