Schumer denies Netanyahu request to address Democrats

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) denied a request from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the Senate Democratic caucus in a virtual meeting, arguing against approaching discussions on Israel through a partisan lens.

Netanyahu, the right-wing Israeli leader, met with Senate Republicans in a closed virtual meeting on Wednesday. A spokesperson for Schumer said in a widely reported statement that the majority leader denied Netanyahu’s similar request for Democrats.

“Sen. Schumer made it clear that he does not think these discussions should happen in a partisan manner. That’s not helpful to Israel,” Schumer’s spokesperson said.

Schumer’s rejection of Netanyahu’s proposal comes less than a week after the majority made waves in Washington and abroad when he issued a scathing rebuke of Netanyahu’s leadership and called for a new election.

“At this critical juncture, I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel, at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government,” he said. “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.”

“I also believe Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take the precedence over the best interests of Israel,” Schumer said in his nearly 45-minute speech. He said Netanyahu is currently in a coalition with “far-right extremists” and has been “too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows.” 

“As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me: The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after Oct. 7,” Schumer said at the time, referring to Hamas’s attack. “The world has changed — radically — since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past.”

Netanyahu fired back at Schumer, calling his remarks “totally inappropriate” in an interview on Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“It’s inappropriate to go to a sister democracy and try to replace the elected leadership there. That’s something the Israeli public does on its own,” he said. “We’re not a banana republic.”

The Hill has reached out to Schumer’s spokesperson for comment.