From the Liveblog of
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Netanyahu slams Schumer’s ‘inappropriate speech,’ says elections are ‘for the Israeli people to decide’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
In an interview on CNN, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly declines to commit to elections after the war on Hamas, saying that it’s ridiculous to talk about.
“That’s for the Israeli people to decide,” he says.
He also says that elections during the war would be a victory for Hamas, as they would freeze the war for six months.
Netanyahu on CNN on new elections in Israel: "We'll see when we win the war … I think that's something for the Israeli people to decide." pic.twitter.com/m7K4jpZmR5
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 17, 2024
He also responds to Senator Chuck Schumer’s call for his replacement last week, saying that the Jewish legislator is not “opposing me, he’s opposing the people of Israel.”
Netanyahu calls Schumer’s speech “totally inappropriate.”
“You don’t do that to a sister democracy,” says Netanyahu. Netanyahu insists that Israel is doing everything it can to allow aid into Gaza, but the “problem is that once trucks get in, they’re looted by Hamas and gangs.”
Appearing on CNN after Netanyahu, past Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi says Netanyahu’s response “proves the necessity” of Schumer’s speech. She says that speech was an “act of courage, an act of love.”
The Times of Israel Community.