Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the United States House of Representatives, said on Sunday (Mar 13) that Israel’s “reputation is at risk” amid the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Pelosi praised Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s remarks for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling for a new election in Israel and called it an “act of courage”.
While speaking to CNN, Pelosi said that Schumer was “concerned about the weakness of the Palestinian Authority and the very, very dangerous attitude of the right-wing Israeli government”.
Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the US, said that Netanyahu is a major obstacle to peace in the Middle East and called for new leadership in the nation.
He said Netanyahu has “lost his way,” and added that the prime minister has been “too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows”.
Netanyahu on Sunday reacted sharply to Schumer’s remarks, calling it “totally inappropriate”. He also asked Israel’s “friends” in the world, “Did you already forget October 7?”
The Israeli PM said, “We’re not a banana republic. I think the only government that we should be working on to bring down now is the terrorist tyranny in Gaza.”
Meanwhile, Pelosi said, “The prime minister’s presentation proved the necessity of Chuck Schumer’s speech. Chuck Schumer’s speech was an act of courage, an act of love for Israel.”
“The fact that he made this statement should be listened to because Israel’s reputation is at risk because of what is happening in Gaza,” she continued.
Not just Schumer, several other Democratic lawmakers have criticised Netanyahu’s leadership during the war with President Biden even calling the Israeli military’s offensive in Gaza “over the top”.
Watch: Thousands protest on the streets of Tel Aviv against the government
Pelosi also said that the Israeli government must allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza. She said, “Either Prime Minister Netanyahu is unaware or ill-informed. There is famine, there is dehydration because it has not. Israel has not allowed the food and the humanitarian assistance to go right in.”
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
(With inputs from agencies)
