Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was “totally inappropriate” when he called for a new election in Israel.
Anchor Dana Bash said, “Let’s talk about what happened here in the us this week. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer gave a pivotal speech and said you have lost your way and called you an obstacle to peace. Take a listen.”
On the Senate floor, Schumer said, “The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7. Now I believe that holding a new election, once the war starts to wind down, would give Israelis an opportunity to express their vision for the post-war future.”
Bash said, “Chuck Schumer is the highest-ranking Jewish elected official here in America, a staunch supporter of Israel. What’s your response?”
Netanyahu said, “I think what you said is totally inappropriate. It’s inappropriate for to go to a sister democracy and try to replace the elected leadership there. That’s something that Israel, the Israeli public does on its own. We’re not a banana republic. I think the only government that we should be working on and to bring down now is the tourist tyranny in Gaza, the Hamas tyranny that murdered over 1,000 Israelis, including some dozens of Americans. And is holding Americans and Israelis hostage, that’s what we should be focused on. As far as what Senator Schumer said the majority of Israelis support our government. 82% of Americans support Israel instead of Hamas.”
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