With Israel fighting an existential war against Hamas, the Iranian-backed terrorist group which rules Gaza, it is outrageous that New York Senator Chuck Schumer would intrude into Israeli domestic politics and advocate, not just for new elections, but for the defeat of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
To be clear, Senator Schumer’s comments represent everything that is wrong with the exercise of American foreign policy, and deserves a stiff rebuke, no matter your position on the war in the Middle East, nor one’s opinions on Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving Prime Minister.
Indeed, not only did Schumer effectively call for regime change in a democratic ally, but he did so at the worst possible time. Fighting on the ground in Gaza continues to rage, Israeli troops are still in harms way, and more than one million Gazan civilians are caught in Rafah, used as human shields for an impending Israeli assault on Hamas’ last holdout.
Moreover, and perhaps most importantly, there are delicate negotiations ongoing around the release of the remaining 130 or so hostages, including Americans. In the middle of all of this, for the highest ranking Jewish elected official in American history to meddle in this way is wrongheaded, ill-conceived, harmful to the State of Israel, and contrary to America’s interests.
In that same vein, if Schumer felt the need to engage in regime change in the Middle East, he would do far better addressing the Mullahs in Tehran, who are almost certainly encouraging – if not outright facilitating – Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, the Assad regime in Syria, Russia’s onslaught in Ukraine, and rising tensions in the West Bank.
Put another way, Senator Schumer has been noticeably silent in talking about the principal architect of instability in the region – Iran – and yet, to speak out about Israel at this time, particularly with the advancement of ceasefire talks, is unfathomable.
Of course, Senator Schumer is no novice. He understands very well that Benjamin Netanyahu is the duly elected leader of a democratic state. And while Netanyahu’s political career is highly likely to come to an end when Israel does hold new elections, who leads the country is for the Israeli people to decide, not the United States.
In that context, Schumer’s words are even more abhorrent. Not only did he call for new elections – something Israelis themselves have been doing for nearly a year – but threatened that, if Netanyahu won and remained in power, “the United States will have no choice” but to force Israel to “change the present course.”
Two years ago, almost to the day, President Biden made an off-handed remark that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden’s remark, about a brutal dictator who is America’s enemy, caused an uproar and the White House almost immediately made it clear that Biden was not calling for regime change.
But when Israel, America’s closest ally in the Middle East, is the target of such inflammatory rhetoric, President Biden has been deafeningly, and disgracefully, silent.
That said, not all officials were. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took the Senate floor after Schumer and said, “It is grotesque and hypocritical for Americans…to call for the removal of a Democratically elected leader of Israel.”
Senator Tom Cotton offered an even clearer rebuke, saying, “Chuck Schumer’s demand for new Israeli elections is inappropriate and offensive…Israel is a close ally and a healthy, vibrant democracy. The last thing Israel needs is the ‘foreign election interference’ that Democrats so often decry here.”
Positively, it was not just Republicans who recognized the danger of Schumer’s comments. The American Jewish Committee, led by former Democratic Congressman Ted Deutch, said, “Israel is a sovereign democracy in the midst of a war of self-defense against a terrorist organization bent on massacring Jews…the Israeli people will decide their own political path.”
To that point, President Biden – who has increasingly criticized Netanyahu on a personal level lately – and Schumer do not realize that their incessant attacks on Netanyahu only strengthen him at home, and are clearly lacking an end game.
Right now, Israel has a united war cabinet, and while Democrats may dislike Netanyahu personally, they may be shocked to learn that there is almost complete consensus in Israel regarding the war with Hamas, and even if Netanyahu was replaced, his successor would not prosecute the war any differently.
Perhaps most upsetting about Biden and Schumer’s attacks are that these are clearly not their core beliefs.
Schumer has always been an ally of Israel in the Senate, and while Biden was a Senator, he was as well. Both Biden and Schumer visited Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks and made clear they support Israel’s right to self-defense. And, in the largest display of American solidarity with Israel in 50 years, Biden sent two aircraft carrier strike forces to Israel’s coast as a warning to Hezbollah and Iran not to take advantage of the chaos immediately after Hamas’ attack.
Instead, these are obvious attempts to pander to the anti-Israel fringe of the Democratic Party, which has grown increasingly vocal in their own attacks over what they consider Biden’s too-supportive attitude towards Jerusalem and are threatening to withhold their votes from Biden in November.
At this point, Sen. Schumer – and the Biden administration – would be better served if they spent their energy on producing a pause in the fighting and most of all, the release of the hostages who have now been held in Gaza for more than five months. They should cease any involvement in the domestic politics of Israel at a time like this.
Anything else is harmful, destructive, and diametrically opposed to American values.
Douglas Schoen is a longtime Democratic political consultant.