Benjamin Netanyahu slammed as he fires back at Chuck Schumer for 'totally inappropriate' speech

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL: Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu called out Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's floor speech criticizing his coalition government as "totally inappropriate," reported The Hill.

Schumer, the first Jewish Senate majority leader, on March 14, demanded new elections in Israel, arguing Netanyahu has "lost his way" and has been "too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows."

In an interview with CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday, March 17, the Israeli PM slammed the criticism, saying, "It is totally inappropriate. 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."

"We're not a banana republic," he added, continuing, "I think the only government that we should be working on to bring down now is the terrorist tyranny in Gaza."

Schumer's statements indicated the Democrats shifting their support toward the longtime ally amid its ongoing war on Gaza. President Joe Biden also backed the Senate leader, calling his remarks a "good speech." However, he did not directly urge for new elections in Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu remains firm on his government's popularity in Israel

Denying Schumer's arguments, Netanyahu expressed confidence that his government and policies remain popular among most Israelis.

"The majority of Israelis support the policies of my government. It's not a fringe government. It represents the policies supported by the majority of the people," he said, adding, "If Senator Schumer opposes these policies, he is not opposing me. He is opposing the people of Israel."

Israel's coalition government, consisting of seven parties, led by Netanyahu, was formed in December 2022.

In addition, the Israeli PM refused to address Schumer's demand for a new election directly. "If we were to have elections now, before the war is won, resoundingly won, we would have at least six months of national paralysis, which means we would lose the war," Netanyahu emphasized.

When Bash pressed for a second time, he said, "That's something for the Israeli people to decide. I think it's ridiculous to talk about it."

Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, which started after the Hamas attack on October 7, has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians so far.

The Biden administration is under pressure to force its Jewish ally for a permanent ceasefire as Netanyahu defies international calls to put an end to the bloodshed. The Israeli government is widely criticized for restricting humanitarian aid to the war-torn region, pushing it into famine.

President Biden's inaction to take action to stop the war has impacted his re-election bid when pro-Palestine Democrats voted "uncommitted" in the state primary in Michigan, causing a reduction in his vote share.

Internet reacts

The internet blasted Netanyahu for going after Schumer's criticism of Israel's persistence to continue the attack on Palestinians.

One user said, "Bibi is a hypocrite. And a criminal. And a disgrace. He should resign immediately."

"Sen Schumer's remarks were absolutely necessary. Netanyahu is dragging Israel's reputation down," another person opined.

A third user said, "Don't bite off the hand that feeds you BiBi."

"Netanyahu is corrupt right extreme Criminal His failed policies outcast Israel from the international community," a fourth response read.

Another individual said, "Someone doesn’t like to be called out for his failures."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.