By Rebecca Shabad -
NBC News
In the harshest criticism made by an American leader against the Israeli Government since it began its offensive with Hamas, the leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, called this Thursday for new elections in Israel to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. .
Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the United States, said in statements on the Senate floor that “Netanyahu's coalition no longer fits Israel's needs after October 7.”
“The world has changed — radically — since then, and the Israeli people are being suffocated right now by the vision of a government stuck in the past,” added Schumer, D-New York.
Schumer indicated that he supports a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as President Joe Biden has been pushing for, adding that it would “allow for the return of hostages and humanitarian relief for suffering Palestinians.”
He was also opposed to a permanent ceasefire because, he indicated, it would only allow Hamas to “regroup and launch new attacks against Israeli civilians.”
“There can never be a two-state solution if Hamas has any significant power,” he said.