{"id":284064,"date":"2024-03-22T09:10:16","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T09:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=284064"},"modified":"2024-03-24T09:22:00","modified_gmt":"2024-03-24T09:22:00","slug":"whats-bugging-chuck-schumer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=284064","title":{"rendered":"What’s Bugging Chuck Schumer?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mike Whitney \u2013 The Unz Review March 20, 2024<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Why did Chuck Schumer call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an \u201cobstacle to peace\u201d and demand new elections in Israel just weeks before an IDF ground offensive in Rafah?<\/p>\n

Hasn\u2019t Schumer opposed a ceasefire in Gaza from the beginning? Hasn\u2019t Schumer criticized pro-Palestinian activists and their public protests? Hasn\u2019t Schumer been a champion of the Jewish state for more than three decades in office?<\/p>\n

Yes, yes and yes. So, why would he suddenly do an about-face and blast Israel\u2019s leader at the same time the IDF is conducting a major military operation in Gaza? Here\u2019s an excerpt from Schumer\u2019s speech:<\/p>\n

It is precisely out of this long-standing connection to, and concern for, the State of Israel and its people that I speak today about what I view are the most pressing existential threats to Israel\u2019s long-term peace<\/strong> and prosperity.<\/p>\n

After five months of suffering on both sides of this conflict, our thinking must turn \u2014 urgently \u2014 I believe that to achieve that lasting peace \u2014 which we so long for \u2014 Israel must make some significant course corrections\u2026..<\/strong><\/p>\n

If Israel were to not only maintain the status quo, but go beyond that and tighten its control over Gaza and the West Bank, as some in the current Netanyahu administration have suggested \u2014 in effect creating a de facto single state <\/strong>\u2014 then what reasonable expectation can we have that Hamas and their allies will lay down their arms? It would mean constant war.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On top of that, Israel moving closer to a single state entirely under its control would further rupture its relationship with the rest of the world, including the United States.<\/strong> Support for Israel has declined worldwide in the last few months, and this trend will only get worse if the Israeli government continues to follow its current path\u2026. Full text of Senator Chuck Schumer\u2019s speech: \u2018Israeli elections are the only way<\/a>\u2019, Times of Israel<\/em><\/p>\n

Repeat: \u201cIsrael must make significant course corrections\u201d?<\/p>\n

So, Schumer is not only calling for new leadership, he\u2019s also demanding that Israel abandon its current strategy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s shocking, but can we trust what Schumer is saying? Does he really regard \u201cthe creation of a de facto single state\u201d as an \u201cexistential threat\u201d to Israel or is he using it as an excuse to conceal his real intentions?<\/p>\n

Journalists at Politico<\/em>\u2014Hailey Fuchs and Elena Schneider\u2014think Schumer is hiding something. They think his views are shaped by his politics which are preventing him from being completely honest. Here\u2019s how they summed it up in a recent article:<\/p>\n

[AIPAC] recognizes that Schumer has a left flank problem<\/strong> just like the Israel lobby has a left flank problem,\u201d said one Democratic consultant who works with major Jewish donors, granted anonymity to discuss the issue candidly. \u201cYou stick with the guy who\u2019s always been with you, but you also let him have the breathing room to say what he needs to say if it helps him with his left flank.\u201d<\/strong>\u2026.<\/p>\n

AIPAC is also sophisticated enough to know that its relationships with Democratic leadership depends on whether those leaders can maintain the support of voters,<\/strong> said one former Democratic Senate aide who has worked with AIPAC. Schumer\u2019s relationship with AIPAC has always been \u201cstrong, resolute, frank and open,\u201d the person added. Schumer\u2019s Israel rebuke leaves AIPAC in a delicate position,<\/a> Politico<\/em><\/p>\n

This analysis is partly true but misses the larger point. Yes, Schumer does have to pander to a Democratic base that is sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, but there\u2019s more to it than that. Schumer thinks that Netanyahu is dangerously off-track and that his arrogant, go-it-alone attitude is intensifying Israel\u2019s global isolation while angering its biggest ally, the United States<\/strong>. As he puts it:<\/p>\n

Israel moving closer to a single state entirely under its control would further rupture its relationship with the rest of the world, including the United States.<\/p>\n

The idea that Israel can simply thumb its nose at the Biden administration and go charging into Rafah \u201cguns blazing\u201d is a grave miscalculation that is putting enormous strain on US-Israel relations<\/strong> and is bound to undermine Israel\u2019s prospects for the future. That\u2019s why Schumer decided it was time to roll out the heavy artillery and send Bibi a message he\u2019d understand. And the message was accompanied by a blunt directive from the White House to send a senior-level delegation of \u201cmilitary, intelligence and policy officials to Washington to hear U.S. concerns and lay out an alternative approach that will not include a major ground invasion.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Does that sound like \u201cthe tail wagging the dog\u201d to you?<\/p>\n

No, me neither. What it sounds like is that Biden and Co. are fed up with Netanyahu\u2019s antics and have decided to reel him in a bit. Bottom line: Netanyahu does not have a green light to implement his plan to send ground troops into Rafah<\/strong>. Not yet at least. He needs to discuss the matter with Biden and reach a mutual agreement to go forward or abandon the plan altogether. What Schumer\u2019s speech indicates, is that relations between Bibi and Washington have deteriorated to such an extent that the Israeli leadership must be taken by the lapels and shaken out of their stupor so they see how bad things really are. Schumer\u2019s presentation was just the first of many \u2018wake-up calls\u2019. Here\u2019s more:<\/p>\n

As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me:<\/p>\n

The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7<\/strong>. The world has changed \u2014 radically \u2014 since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past.<\/p>\n

Nobody expects Prime Minister Netanyahu to do the things that must be done to break the cycle of violence, preserve Israel\u2019s credibility on the world stage, and work towards a two-state solution..<\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n

At this critical juncture, I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel<\/strong>, at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government.<\/p>\n

I also believe a majority of the Israeli public will recognize the need for change, and I believe that holding a new election once the war starts to wind down would give Israelis an opportunity to express their vision for the post-war future.<\/p>\n

Of course, the United States cannot dictate the outcome of an election, nor should we try. That is for the Israeli public to decide \u2014 a public that I believe understands better than anybody that Israel cannot hope to succeed as a pariah opposed by the rest of the world<\/strong>\u2026.<\/p>\n

If Prime Minister Netanyahu\u2019s current coalition remains in power after the war begins to wind down, and continues to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing US standards for assistance, then the United States will have no choice but to play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course.<\/strong> Full text of Senator Chuck Schumer\u2019s speech: \u2018Israeli elections are the only way<\/a>\u2019, Times of Israel<\/em><\/p>\n

This is extraordinary. Schumer is threatening Netanyahu point-blank with political retaliation if he doesn\u2019t step-in-line and align Israel\u2019s policies with US interests.<\/strong> If any other US senator blurted out a comment like this they\u2019d be looking for job by the end of the day. It just goes to show how trusted Schumer is among the powerful Jewish organizations in the US. Here\u2019s more:<\/p>\n

The United States\u2019 bond with Israel is unbreakable, but if extremists continue to unduly influence Israeli policy, then the Administration should use the tools at its disposal to make sure our support for Israel is aligned with our broader goal of achieving long-term peace and stability in the region<\/strong>. Full text of Senator Chuck Schumer\u2019s speech: \u2018Israeli elections are the only way<\/a>\u2019, Times of Israel<\/em><\/p>\n

Schumer\u2019s comments go way-beyond a mere slap on the wrist. This is an ominous but straightforward warning to the fanatics in the Netanyahu government that they\u2019d better get their act together pronto and take steps to align their policies with those of the United States or there are going to be dire consequences.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, the one pundit that seems to understand what Schumer\u2019s speech was really all about is New York Times<\/em> columnist Tom Friedman who summed it up like this:<\/p>\n

What has gone so haywire in the U.S.-Netanyahu relationship that it would drive someone as sincerely devoted to Israel\u2019s well-being as Chuck Schumer to call on Israelis to replace Netanyahu \u2014 and have his speech, which was smart and sensitive, praised by President Biden himself as a \u201cgood speech\u201d outlining concerns shared by \u201cmany Americans\u201d?<\/p>\n

Israelis and friends of Israel ignore that basic question at their peril. What Schumer and Biden Got Right About Netanyahu<\/a>, New York Times<\/em><\/p>\n

Friedman is right. Relations between Israel and the US have gotten so bad that it takes a die-hard loyalist like Schumer put Bibi on notice that he\u2019s on thin ice. And the reason he\u2019s on thin ice is because his bloody rampage in Gaza has run roughshod over Washington\u2019s broader regional strategy<\/strong> which involves the economic integration of critical nations from India to Israel. Here\u2019s more from Friedman:<\/p>\n

Why has Netanyahu become such a problem for the U.S. and Biden geopolitically and politically?<\/p>\n

The short answer is that America\u2019s entire Middle East strategy right now<\/strong> \u2014 and, I would argue, Israel\u2019s long-term interests \u2014 depends on Israel partnering with the non-Hamas Palestinian Authority<\/strong> based in Ramallah, in the West Bank, on the long-term development needs of Palestinians and, ultimately, on a two-state solution. And Netanyahu has expressly ruled that out, along with any other fully formed plan for the morning after in Gaza\u2026<\/p>\n

Hamas\u2019s attack was designed to halt Israel from becoming more embedded than ever in the Arab world <\/strong>thanks to the Abraham Accords and the budding normalization process with Saudi Arabia. Consequently, Israel\u2019s response had to be designed to preserve those vital new relationships. That could be possible only if Israel was fighting Hamas in Gaza with one hand and actively pursuing two states with the other.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This war had a major regional component. Israel very quickly found itself fighting Hamas in Gaza and Iran\u2019s proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq. The only way Israel could build a regional alliance \u2014 and enable President Biden to help line up regional allies \u2014 was if Israel was simultaneously pursuing a peace process with non-Hamas Palestinians.<\/strong> That is the necessary cement for a regional alliance against Iran. Without that cement, Biden\u2019s grand strategy <\/strong>of building an alliance against Iran and Russia (and China) stretching from India through the Arabian Peninsula across North Africa and up to the European Union\/NATO is stymied<\/strong>. No one wants to sign up to protect an Israel whose government is dominated by extremists who want to permanently occupy both the West Bank and Gaza\u2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If Israel fights a war in Gaza with many civilian casualties \u2014 but offers no political hope for a better future for both Israelis and Palestinians \u2014 over time it obscures people\u2019s memories of the horrors of Oct. 7 and their support for Israel in its wake. That makes it increasingly difficult for even the most pro-Israel American figures \u2014 like Schumer \u2014 to continue to back the war in the face of the enormous international and domestic costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

For all of these reasons, and I cannot say this loudly enough, Israel has an overriding interest in pursuing a two-state horizon. <\/strong>What Schumer and Biden Got Right About Netanyahu<\/a>, New York Times<\/em><\/p>\n

Perfectly summarized.<\/p>\n

The media fails to report on the critical events that took place before the October 7 attacks that revealed Washington\u2019s regional strategy. As it happens, the Biden team had been developing an expansive plan aimed at countering China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative<\/strong>. Check out this excerpt from an article at the Times of Israel<\/em>:<\/p>\n

US President Joe Biden and his allies on Saturday announced plans to build a rail and shipping corridor linking India with the Middle East and Europe, an ambitious project aimed at fostering economic growth and political cooperation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a big deal,\u201d said Biden. \u201cThis is a really big deal.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The corridor would help to boost trade, transport energy resources and improve digital connectivity. It would include India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Israel and the European Union, said Jake Sullivan, Biden\u2019s national security adviser.<\/p>\n

Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the project during the annual Group of 20 summit of the world\u2019s top economies. It is part of an initiative called the Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe think that the project itself is bold and transformative, but the vision behind the project is equally bold and transformative, and we will see it replicated in other parts of the world as well,\u201d Sullivan said\u2026.<\/p>\n

The rail and shipping corridor would help to physically tie together a vast stretch of the globe, improving digital connectivity and enabling more trade among countries, including with energy products<\/strong> such as hydrogen. Although White House officials did not set a timeline for its completion, the corridor would provide a physical and ideological alternative to China\u2019s own nation-spanning infrastructure program. Biden unveils US-backed transport corridor to link India to EU via Mideast, Israel<\/a>, Times of Israel<\/em><\/p>\n

There it is in a nutshell: A \u201cbold and transformative\u201d infrastructure project extending from India to Israel creating a high-speed transport corridor for energy, retail goods and natural resources. This is how Washington wants to slow China\u2019s meteoric growth and preserve its grip on global power into the next century. There\u2019s only one drawback: Netanyahu\u2019s killing-spree in Gaza has put the kibosh on the entire plan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Schumer knows all of this. He also knows that that if Israeli policy continues to conflict with US vital interests, there\u2019s going to be an acrimonious divorce that will result in Israel losing its greatest ally and benefactor. That\u2019s why he wants to dump Bibi and replace him with someone who will work collaboratively and cooperatively with the US. It\u2019s not a question of patriotism, it\u2019s a matter of survival\u2026. Israel\u2019s survival.<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hasn\u2019t Schumer opposed a ceasefire in Gaza from the beginning? Hasn\u2019t Schumer criticized pro-Palestinian activists and their public protests? Hasn\u2019t he campaigned for the Jewish state for more than three decades? Yes, yes and yes. So, why would he suddenly do an about-face and blast Israel\u2019s leader? Mike Whitney explains <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-284064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Israel_Anti-Semitism_Zionism_and_US-UK_allies"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=284064"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":284106,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284064\/revisions\/284106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=284064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=284064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=284064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}