(AFP) – President Joe Biden praised Friday a speech by the US Senate leader urging new elections in Israel, saying many Americans shared concerns about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza war.
The call by Democratic Senate majority chief Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking elected Jewish American in history, was the most strident rebuke of Israel yet by a senior US official since Hamas’s October 7 attacks.
“He made a good speech, and I think he expressed serious concern shared not only by him, but by many Americans,” Biden said when asked about the speech after a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at the White House.
Biden told reporters in the Oval Office that Schumer had contacted his staff to say he was going to make the comments, and added that he was “not going to elaborate on the speech.”
The US president also crossed his fingers for luck, but did not comment, when asked by reporters what he thought of Hamas’s new proposal of a six-week truce in Gaza.
The Schumer speech came amid mounting pressure from Biden on Netanyahu to reduce the number of Palestinians being killed in Gaza, and to let more aid in as famine looms in the territory.
Biden also faces growing political pressure at home, with fears voters could punish the Democrats in the US presidential election in November over his support for Israel.
“As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may. But the important thing is that Israelis are given a choice,” said Schumer.
“There needs to be a fresh debate about the future of Israel after October 7.”
Schumer also said Netanyahu was one of four “major obstacles” to peace alongside Hamas, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and radical right-wing Israelis.
– ‘Cautiously optimistic’ –
Biden has strongly supported Israel’s right to defend itself since the October 7 Hamas attacks, but there have been signs of a growing rift with Netanyahu over his approach.
The president’s praise for Schumer’s speech has intensified speculation about tensions with the Israeli leader but the White House said he was not calling for new elections.
“That’s going to be up to the Israeli people to decide,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Tensions are particularly high over Israel’s plan to launch an offensive in the southern city of Rafah, which Netanyahu said he had approved on Friday.
“We haven’t seen it. We certainly would welcome the opportunity to see it,” Kirby said.
The president could not support any plan without a “credible, achievable, executable plan” to shelter the more than one million Gazans sheltering there, he added.
On Hamas’s new ceasefire plan, Kirby said the White House was “cautiously optimistic that things are moving in the right direction.”
“I would say the proposal that was put forward is certainly within the bounds of — in broad brushstrokes — the deal we’ve been working on for several months,” Kirby added.
The Gaza war meanwhile cast a shadow over the Irish prime minister’s traditional visit to the White House to mark the Saint Patrick’s Day holiday.
Varadkar has been one of the strongest Western critics of Israel’s offensive.
“You know my view is that we need a ceasefire as soon as possible to get food and medicine in, to get the hostages out,” Varadkar said — as Biden nodded his head and said “I agree.” – Danny KEMP
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