The Schumer shock: Seismic US shift on Israel or attempt to gain voter favour?

Criticism of Netanyahu from a US senator and staunch supporter of Israel is important. But Democrats are increasingly opposing Israel's war on Gaza and want to see actions, not just talk.

Reuters

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks during a press conference following the weekly Senate caucus luncheons on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 12, 2024.

The Schumer shock: Seismic US shift on Israel or attempt to gain voter favour?

Aqeel Abbas

last update on 20 Mar 2024

Senator Chuck Schumer's sharp criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week marked a significant turning point in the Democratic Party's dealings with Israel's right-wing government.

In a Senate address, Schumer expressed strong disapproval of Netanyahu's collaboration with right-wing extremists. He called for Israel to seek peace with the Palestinians and for early elections—something that the embattled Israeli premier continues to reject.

President Joe Biden—a close confidant and former Senate colleague of Schumer—lauded the speech. The top-level endorsement seemed to reveal broader concern in US politics and across the nation in general.

Biden said: “He made a good speech, and I think he expressed a serious concern shared not only by him but many Americans.”

Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, also saw the speech as a sign of waning support for Netanyahu from Israel’s traditionally unwavering allies in Washington.

On its part, Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party hit out at Schumer’s remarks, describing them as an attack on Israel’s sovereignty and democratic process.

There was also criticism of Schumer closer to home.

"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," Republican and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnel said.

"This is unprecedented. We should not treat fellow democracies this way at all.”

Schumer’s shift in position was all the more significant because he is an ardent supporter of Israel, a close friend of Biden, and a prominent figure in American politics.

Significant criticism

A senator for over four decades, Schumer holds an important position in the Democratic Party. He has also championed Israel’s right to independently manage its security and political challenges, with the full support of the US. Immediately after 7 October, Schumer travelled to Israel to show his full support.

Schumer’s transformation from an unwavering supporter to a nuanced critic did not stop at Netanyahu. He condemned other prominent Israeli politicians holding senior government positions—including the ministers of finance and national security—for fostering extremism against Palestinians and backing displacement.

Schumer's stature makes his criticism all the more significant. He is a leading Jewish senator in New York, home to the world's largest Jewish population outside of Israel: approximately 2.2 million people, equivalent to about 30% of Israel's total Jewish population.

It may amount to a potential inflexion point in the political dynamics of relations between the US and Israel and a direct challenge to the Israeli right wing and its US supporters.

The change also reveals how the internal politics of the Democratic party is changing into November’s presidential election.

Facing challenges from within its own ranks, the party is contending with growing dissatisfaction among its members over Israel's actions in Gaza.

Schumer's shift in position was all the more significant because he is an ardent supporter of Israel, a close friend of Biden, and a prominent figure in American politics.

Biden Boycott?

A significant portion of Democratic Party supporters—about 62%—see Israel's war on Gaza as excessive. There have been calls for an internal party boycott of Biden's re-election bid this year, driven by what is seen as his inability to address Israeli aggression on Gaza.

The protest vote, spearheaded by Arab and Muslim Americans, originated in Michigan and swiftly spread to North Carolina, states that could determine the November election. It has since gained traction among other key Democratic demographics, including Black and Latino communities and younger voters.

That has rung alarm bells within the Biden administration. There is concern about the potential disruption this movement could pose to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August, where Biden is expected to be formally nominated as the party's presidential candidate.

In an effort to ease this unrest, the administration dispatched a delegation to Chicago – a city with a significant Palestinian and Arab American population, estimated at around 100,000 – to try and prevent demonstrations from being held during the set-piece party events, as well as to push back against the boycott.

The speed at which Biden endorsed Schumer's remarks implied the White House knew what the president's friend and ally would say in advance—a sign of a strategic attempt to quell the growing discontent within the Democratic base.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in front of the White House during the "March on Washington for Gaza" in Washington, DC, on January 13, 2024.

For the critics of the White House, it has failed to achieve a permanent ceasefire. For Arab-American voters, clear steps toward one is, at the very least, now a primary demand.

Schumer's speech carries significance far beyond the internal politics of the Democratic Party. It was widely covered by Israeli media, indicating the impact and importance of his words within the country.

Silent majority

As well as claiming moral authority, Schumer made clear that he was speaking out "for so many mainstream Jewish Americans – the silent majority – whose nuanced views on the matter have never been well represented in this country's discussions about the war in Gaza."

This statement reflects nuanced insight into the perspective of American Jews, most of whom—around 64%—are aligned with the Democratic Party. The community backs the Republicans at around 26%.

And support for Netanyahu among American Jews is relatively low, with only about 31% in favour.

Hailey Soifer, president of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, believes that Schumer "said what the overwhelming majority of American Jews are thinking" and commended him for his "moral clarity."

Biden's swift endorsement of Schumer's remarks implied he knew what he would say in advance. It seems like an attempt to quell growing discontent in the Democratic party.

Schumer's call for early elections came with the latest Israeli opinion polls showing that Netanyahu would be backed by no more than 15% in any such vote.

The administration's open support for Israel has become a political dilemma, one that Schumer's speech clearly revealed.

Holding these elections well before the US White House vote in November could resolve a significant issue for the Biden administration.

This is another important reason why Schumer's words may have set up a potentially momentous shift in the US stance on the Middle East under a Democratic administration.

Whatever else, the veteran senator has already put significant political pressure on Israel's extreme right-wing coalition.

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