Senate Majority Leader seeks to clarify remarks against the Israeli government which caused a firestorm: The US cannot dictate the outcome of an election.
By: Elad Benari – Israel National News; israelnationalnews.com
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Thursday sought to clarify his remarks against the Israeli government which caused a firestorm.
“The US cannot dictate the outcome of an election. That is for the Israeli public to decide,” he wrote in a post on social media.
“As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders. But the important thing is that Israelis are given a choice. There needs to be a fresh debate about the future,” he added.
Earlier, Schumer gave a speech in which he called for new elections to be held in Israel, saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has lost his way.” He further called the Prime Minister an “obstacle to peace.”
“The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel,” he said. “The Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past.”
The Likud Party strongly condemned Schumer’s speech, saying, “Israel is not a banana republic but an independent and proud democracy that elected Prime Minister Netanyahu. Prime Minister Netanyahu leads a determined policy that is supported by a huge majority of the people.”
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