Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer’s recent remarks about his potential ouster over his handling of the war against Hamas “totally inappropriate.”
Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat, last week called for Mr. Netanyahu’s ouster and for Israel to hold elections over the high civilian death toll in Gaza.
“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. Schumer’s office quickly fired back in a statement.
“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 senator’s office said.
The back-and-forth escalated the tension between U.S. and Israeli officials and further called into question whether America will pass legislation to provide more military aid to its closest ally in the Middle East.
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Mr. Netanyahu declined to address Mr. Schumer’s call for new elections, which sparked fierce backlash from Republicans and divided Democrats.
“The majority of Israelis support the policies of my government. It’s not a fringe government,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “It represents the policies supported by the majority of the people. If Senator Schumer opposes these policies, he is not opposing me. He is opposing the people of Israel.”
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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