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Schumer on Netanyahu in Context

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March 14, 2024 11:29 a.m.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 13: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) gives a thumbs-up after speaking on the National Security Supplemental Bill at the U.S. Capitol on February 13, 2024 in Washington, DC.... WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 13: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) gives a thumbs-up after speaking on the National Security Supplemental Bill at the U.S. Capitol on February 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. The bill, which received contentious debate and months of negotiations in the Senate, provides military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan but is expected to be received with uncertainty in the House of Representatives. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) MORE LESS

There was really quite a stunning development in the Senate this afternoon. Schumer went to the floor to call for new elections in Israel, calling Netanyahu “an obstacle to peace” and going on to say he is pursuing “dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing standards for assistance.” If Netanyahu remains in power after the war, the U.S. should “play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course.”

These words require some context and deconstruction.

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