US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday that he considered calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down in his recent controversial speech, but decided against doing that because it would cross a red line.
Speaking to The New York Times, Schumer said he spent about two months and 10 drafts trying to perfect his speech, adding he did not merely want to push for policy changes in Israel’s offensive in Gaza without calling out Netanyahu, whom he called “the fount of the problems.”
“I wrestled with myself — maybe I should say Bibi should step down,” Schumer said, but then added, “That is telling Israel what to do, and it’s in the middle of a war.” He later said that when the idea of calling for a resignation came up, “I always said no.”
Instead, Schumer called for new elections in Israel, and, as he put it in his speech, letting “the chips fall where they may.”
“Bibi could prevent any election until 2026,” he told The New York Times. “I worry under his leadership, Israel would become such a pariah in the world and even in the United States, because I look at the numbers and they’re rapidly decreasing. I had to speak out before it erodes.”
Without American support, warned Schumer, Israel’s “future could well be over.”
Schumer also said he blames Netanyahu and former US President Donald Trump for the erosion of bipartisan support for Israel in America.
He told The New York Times he still believes his Republican colleagues love Israel, “but some of them love beating up on the Democrats more.”
Schumer’s speech caused an uproar in both the US and Israel, though President Joe Biden on Friday indicated he supported Schumer’s remarks.
"He made a good speech," Biden said in the Oval Office when asked by reporters asked about Schumer's remarks.
"He expressed serious concerns, shared not only by him but by many Americans," Biden continued, adding that his staff were notified about the speech in advance by Schumer.
Netanyahu responded to Schumer’s remarks in an interview with CNN earlier this week, calling them “totally inappropriate.”
The Prime Minister said whether elections were held or not in Israel was something "the Israeli government does on its own."
"It's inappropriate to go to a sister democracy and try to replace the elected leadership," said Netanyahu, adding that it was up to the Israeli public to decide whether Israel should hold elections after the Israel-Hamas war is over.