Netanyahu accuses top Democrat of ‘inappropriate’ talk
Israel’s prime minister vows ‘complete victory’
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday responded directly to U.S. Sen Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic majority leader, calling his recent criticism of the Israeli leader and call for elections there “totally inappropriate.”
In an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, Netanyahu accused Schumer of trying to bring down the Israeli government, adding the only government Israel and the United States should be working to take down was “the terrorist tyranny in Gaza.”
Netanyahu said trying to replace the government of a “sister democracy” was not appropriate.
“That’s something that Israel, the Israeli public does on its own,” he said. “We’re not a banana republic.”
Netanyahu is facing growing international criticism of his handling of the war in the Gaza Strip and its deadly toll on Palestinians. He has also encountered domestic disapproval for refusing to take responsibility for the security failures that preceded the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
Asked whether he would commit to holding elections whenever the war was winding down, Netanyahu said discussing the matter was “ridiculous.”
On Thursday, Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States, delivered a scathing speech on the Senate floor, accusing Netanyahu of letting his political survival supersede “the best interests of Israel” and of being “too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza.”
Schumer said he thought an election should take place when the war started to wind down, and he expressed support for a temporary cease-fire that would allow for the return of hostages held in Gaza and for more aid for Palestinians.
The speech was indicative of the widening gap between Israel and the United States over the war and mounting frustrations in Washington with Netanyahu’s policies.
In remarks Sunday to his government before a meeting with Germany’s leader, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Netanyahu stressed Israel would continue fighting in Gaza until “complete victory.” He also vowed the army would invade Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, where more than 1 million Palestinians have been packed into crowded shelters, tent encampments, and friends’ and relatives’ homes.
He added Israel had approved the military’s plans to operate in Rafah, including measures to evacuate the civilian population from combat areas.
President Joe Biden has told Netanyahu that Israel should not proceed with an operation in Rafah without “a credible and executable plan” for the safety and support of the civilians there, according to the White House.
John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, said Sunday on ABC’s This Week the United States “would welcome the opportunity” to see the plan.
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah, weary from more than five months of war, have said they are terrified a ground invasion of the city could result in mass civilian casualties. But Sunday, Netanyahu repeated his position entering Rafah was necessary to eliminate Hamas and “the only way to use the military pressure necessary to free all of our hostages.” He did not say when an invasion would begin.