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SCHUMER CLEARS PATH FOR DEMOCRATS TO DISAVOW NETANYAHU. WILL BIDEN
FOLLOW?  
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Ben Samuels
March 15, 2024
Haaretz
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_ Schumer's speech calling on Israelis to shake off Netanyahu made
major waves in both U.S. and Israeli politics. Those waves could turn
into a tsunami if Biden and the rest of the pro-Israel U.S. left
follow suit. _

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WASHINGTON – 24 hours after the earthquake following Senate Majority
Leader Chuck Schumer's Senate floor remarks calling for new Israeli
elections while sharply decrying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it
is becoming undeniably clear that the speech will go down as a
watershed moment in the history of U.S.-Israel relations.

While Netanyahu has long found himself out of favor with much the
Democratic Party's base, particularly as the Gaza humanitarian crisis
has worsened, the explicit disowning of Netanyahu from the highest
ranking Jewish elected official in U.S. history has cleared the path
for Democrats to follow suit.

Democratic senators from across the caucus spectrum have lent their
support to Schumer following his remarks
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noting how the New York senator offered a path forward that has been
deemed impossible by pro-Israel allies and critics alike.

This includes members who have been at the forefront of calling for
conditioned military assistance side-by-side with lawmakers who, like
Schumer, have been warmly embraced by the pro-Israel establishment for
years.

One of those lawmakers, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, said Schumer's
"insightful comments on new directions for policy in the Middle East.
His leadership on a path forward to lasting peace and stability is
important."

Sen. Patty Murray similarly noted that "Netanyahu and his far-right
coalition have made clear they oppose a two-state solution, which is
the path to lasting peace. Israelis should have the opportunity to
choose new leadership
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an election."

On the progressive side of the party spectrum, Sen. Jeff Merkley
lauded the "profoundly important call to establish two states for two
peoples from Leader Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in
U.S. history," adding that "securing peace, safety, and prosperity for
both Palestinians and Israelis is the best way to break the cycle of
hate and violence."

Merkley's fellow Netanyahu critic, Sen. Peter Welch, noted Schumer
"told truths that have long needed to be said about Israel's political
leadership. It was a powerful speech that provides a framework to
peace for both Israelis and Palestinians."

"I agree. I have no confidence in Prime Minister Netanyahu's ability
to end this cycle of violence," Sen. Ron Wyden said of Schumer's
remarks.

Schumer's remarks immediately solidified a trend that had been
underway since Netanyahu's ascendance, ebbing and flowing in intensity
over the years but constantly heading in the same direction: Netanyahu
is now officially persona non grata with the Democratic Party's
center, for supporters of Israel and critics alike.

The move is an undeniable gamble — one that the Biden administration
has been reluctant to take, and one that some pro-Israel Democrats are
still afraid to join — that going whole hog on their criticisms of
Netanyahu will not help him shore up domestic support.

On Friday, Biden responded to a question about Schumer's speech,
saying, "I'm not going to elaborate on his speech. He made a good
speech and I think he expressed serious concerns shared not only by
him but by many Americans."

For Schumer and his cohort, however, the matter has reached a point of
no return given Gaza's humanitarian crisis and the very real
possibility that U.S. military assistance could be conditioned. The
idea that Schumer would be on the Senate floor talking about
leveraging U.S. assistance would have defied imagination just months
ago, only illustrating just how far gone Netanyahu's standing is
within the Democratic Party.
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Further, the fact this speech was signed, sealed and delivered by
perhaps the most important Democratic ally Israel has ever known,
short of U.S. President Joe Biden — and one of four Senate Democrats
to side with Netanyahu during his battle with former U.S. President
Barack Obama over the 2015 Iran nuclear deal — makes it all the more
symbolic.

The development will empower organizations like J Street, which has
found itself in a bit of an identity crisis over the past five months,
to reclaim the mantle of representing the majority voice of the
majority party.

J Street described the speech as a "historic shift for pro-Israel
Democrats," with J Street's Director of Government Affairs Hannah
Morris noting Schumer "showed clear recognition that U.S. policy needs
to change" and that it was a "forceful call for President Biden to
press forward with a regional peace agreement resulting in a viable
Palestinian state."

The new center of the U.S. Jewish Democratic base was further
illustrated by Jewish Democratic Council of America CEO Halie Soifer,
who said Schumer did "did something big. He said what the overwhelming
majority of American Jews are thinking as it relates to our deep
commitment to Israel and concern about its future as a secure, Jewish
and democratic state."

Schumer's remarks were not coordinated with Biden, though
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby 
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that he informed the White House the night before his address that he
planned on delivering the remarks.

While U.S. officials did not encourage Schumer, it notably did not
instruct him to pull any punches or avoid making any specific calls.

"We know that Leader Schumer feels strongly about this. I'll certainly
let him speak to it and to his comments. We're going to stay focused
on making sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself while
doing everything that they can to avoid civilian casualties," Kirby
said.

Kirby added that the Biden administration is still "laser-focused on
trying to get a temporary cease-fire in place so that we can get the
hostages out and get more aid in. That's where our head is right now."

He further echoed Schumer's call to let the Israeli people decide on
their political fate, no matter how muddled the messaging has gotten
in the aftermath of Schumer's remarks.

"That's going to be up to the Israeli people," Kirby said when asked
if it is time for political change in Israel. "The issue of elections
is, in the parliamentary process, up to the Israeli government, a
government elected by the Israeli people."

Biden's hesitance to fully get on board with Schumer can be seen in
the backlash that quickly emerged from the Israeli political
landscape, the entirety of the Republican Party as well as pro-Israel
and Jewish establishment organizations.

Schumer met with Benny Gantz 
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who notably rejected Schumer's remarks — one week before the speech,
as the war cabinet minister came to Washington with the undeniable
glow of the man who could course correct Israel's bipartisan standing
in the U.S.

The White House is undeniably viewing the GOP reactions to Schumer —
particularly accusing him of encouraging the U.S. to interfere in
another country's democracy — as a cautionary tale of getting too
explicitly involved.

"What he said today was earth-shatteringly bad. The majority leader of
the United States Senate is calling on the people of Israel to
overthrow their government," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has stood
hand-in-hand with Schumer for years as pro-Israel lodestars in
Congress.

U.S. officials are accordingly worried about the potential unintended
consequences such actions could provide Netanyahu, providing the prime
minister with free talking points to an Israeli electorate still
traumatized by October 7.

One common refrain from Netanyahu since his feud with Biden has
reached new heights is that Israel is not a banana republic nor is it
a U.S. protectorate.

Expect him and his Likud Party to double down on this, connecting
Schumer with Biden while trafficking in fearmongering that the
Democratic Party's two most significant supporters of Israel in the
country's history are not fully committed to Israel's security.

U.S. officials, whom have sought to lower the flames given the
potential benefits to Netanyahu's political survival, are already
bracing for this.

More articles
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by Ben Samuels 

* Chuck Schumer
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* Israel
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* Bibi Netanyahu
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* Joe Biden
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