Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an “obstacle” to peace and called on him to resign this week.
Pelosi made the comments in an interview recorded Monday with Irish broadcaster RTE’s Six One News. She argued that Netanyahu’s response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas has been “terrible.”
“We recognize Israel’s right to protect itself. We reject the policy and the practice of Netanyahu — terrible. What could be worse than what he has done in response?” she said. “He should resign. He’s ultimately responsible,” she added.
“I don’t know whether he’s afraid of peace, incapable of peace, or just doesn’t want peace. But he has been an obstacle to the two-state solution,” she added.
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Pelosi’s statement comes more than a month after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for new elections in Israel, claiming Netanyahu’s government no longer represented the best interests of the Israeli people.
In what was billed as a major speech on a two-state solution, Schumer said on the Senate floor on Thursday that Netanyahu was one of four obstacles to peace.
He argued that “Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take the precedence over the best interests of Israel.”
According to Schumer, the highest ranking Jewish politician in the U.S., Israeli elections are “the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel.” He added that he believed a majority of Israelis also recognize a need for change in their government.
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Schumer’s comments were met with a deluge of criticism from Republicans and allies of Israel who argued the U.S. should not interfere in the country’s elections.
Despite criticism from top Democrats and some Republicans, Congress approved a $26 billion military aid package for Israel this week. Both Schumer and Pelosi voted in favor of the package, which also grants support to Taiwan and Ukraine.
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