Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s recent remarks calling for a new election in Israel “should be listened to because Israel’s reputation is at risk” as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens.
Speaking to CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” Pelosi noted that Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the US, was “concerned about the weakness of the Palestinian Authority and the very, very dangerous attitude of the right-wing Israeli government.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Bash earlier Sunday that Schumer’s comments were “totally inappropriate” and refused to commit to new elections.
“The prime minister’s presentation proved the necessity of Chuck Schumer’s speech. Chuck Schumer’s speech was an act of courage, an act of love for Israel,” Pelosi said.
Her latest comments underscore a shift in rhetoric among top American leaders in recent weeks. President Joe Biden said last week that Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” and called a possible invasion of Rafah a red line, though he clarified that crossing it would not result in punitive measures against Israel.
The White House and congressional Democrats are most critical of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza as Palestinians increasingly face deadly violence in their search for aid.
Pelosi said Netanyahu must “be unaware or ill-informed” of the humanitarian situation in Gaza after the prime minister claimed Israel was taking proper steps to increase aid corridors. The California Democrat called it a “very sad situation” as aid organizations warn of a famine looming in the region.
A growing number of children in Gaza are dying of starvation and…
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