The White House knew Schumer’s Israel speech was coming. Israel will notice that.

The News

The White House reviewed, but didn’t block, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer’s sharp attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday. While the administration has not embraced his explosive call for new elections, the lack of apparent pushback signaled a growing split between the two countries’ leaderships.

Schumer, the highest ranking Jewish politician in Congress, said new elections were needed because so many in the Middle East country “have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government.” His speech came just three days after the U.S.’s top intelligence body released an annual global threat assessment that delved unusually deep into the state of Israel’s internal politics. “We expect large protests demanding [Netanyahu’s] resignation and new elections,” the report stated.

The New York Democrat has been a strong supporter of U.S. aid to Israel since the October attack. His historical backing of the Jewish state made his speech Thursday that much more newsworthy.

The Biden administration denied on Thursday that it’s seeking to shape who leads Israel as the country enters a critical new stage in its war against the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, in the Gaza Strip.

But National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Schumer had shared his speech with the White House before delivering it, while adding the heads-up “wasn’t about approval or disapproval or editing in any way.”

“We fully respect his right to make those remarks and decide for himself what he’s going to say on the Senate floor,” Kirby said. “We’re going to stay focused on making sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself while doing everything that they can to avoid civilian casualties.”

Both Netanyahu’s political allies and opponents pushed back hard against the comments coming out of Washington, charging they were designed to tip the political scales in Israel. “Regardless of our political opinion, we strongly oppose external political intervention in Israel’s internal affairs,” former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett wrote on X. “We are an independent nation, not a banana republic.”

Netanyahu’s ambassador in Washington, Michael Herzog, echoed this sentiment: “Israel is a sovereign country. It is unhelpful.”

The Biden administration also announced sanctions on Thursday on two Israeli settler outposts in the West Bank, and three settlers, whom the U.S. accused of threatening stability in the Palestinian territories.

Jay’s view

The Biden administration — as well as many Israelis — have major questions about Netanyahu and his hard-right political allies’ policies, and their post-war plans. But any perception among Israelis that the U.S. is attempting to intervene politically could backfire and potentially grant the prime minister another lease on his decades-long political life. Schumer’s speech, and the White House’s reaction, is sure to feed that perception.

Recent polls in Israel show opposition leader Benny Gantz, a former defense minister, leading Netanyahu by more than 20 points in terms of being viewed as suitable to serve as the country’s next prime minister. Gantz’s National Unity party was projected by the Hebrew language daily, Maariv, to win 41 seats in the next election for the 120-seat Israeli Knesset against 18 for Netanayahu’s Likud.

Netanyahu is Israel’s longest serving prime minister and has held office almost continually since 2009. But Hamas’ attack on southern Israel last October, which killed around 1,200 Israelis, has starkly undermined his national security record and image of being tough on Palestinian terrorism. Netanyahu and his government also faced nationwide political protests last year over its campaign to alter Israel’s judicial system.

The Biden administration all but openly signaled its support for Gantz last week by hosting him at the White House for a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris. Netanyahu hasn’t visited Washington since the October war began.

Netanyahu and Biden have been publicly sparring in recent weeks over issues related to the Gaza war, including aid deliveries and the prime minister’s plan to conduct military operations near the Egyptian border at the Rafah Border Crossing. Israeli political analysts say they believe Netanyahu will seek to use an open political battle with Biden to strengthen the prime minister’s base going into anticipated elections.

Israeli polls show that the public stands behind an expansive war against Hamas, even if it doesn’t support Netanyahu directly. All decisions related to the war are made by Israel’s three-member war cabinet: which includes Netanyahu, Gantz, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

“From where I’m sitting, the Democrats seem doggedly committed to handing Bibi his reelection campaign,” wrote the political analyst, Haviv Rettig Gur, on Thursday, referencing Netanyahu’s nickname. “If you make him the hero standing up to American pressure on Israel/waffling on Hamas, you give him his one chance for political survival.”

Republican leaders joined Israeli voices in criticizing Schumer. “It is grotesque and hypocritical for Americans who hyperventilate about foreign interference in our own democracy to call for the removal of a democratically elected leader of Israel,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConell said. “This is unprecedented.”

Room for Disagreement

The Atlantic’s Yair Rosenberg sees trouble ahead for Netanyahu and argues against reading too much into the united front against Schumer’s speech.

“Gantz’s whole brand is being a statesman above the fray while others get their hands dirty,” Rosenberg wrote on X. “Schumer’s speech works very nicely for him. He gets to look principled in sidestepping it, while Bibi continues to take the hits but can’t turn the issue around on Gantz.”

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