Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) today gave a major address on the Senate floor, laying out a major plan to revive two-state solution and calling for the Israeli government to hold new elections after the threat of Hamas is radically reduced. In his speech, Majority Leader Schumer also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vision is stuck in the past and no longer fits the needs of Israel and the Israeli people.

Four Obstacles To Peace

Right now, there are four major obstacles standing in the way of two states, and until they are removed from the equation, there will never be peace in Israel and Gaza and the West Bank.

Those four major obstacles are:

• Hamas, and the Palestinians who support and tolerate their evil ways.
• Radical right-wing Israelis in government and society.
• Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

[OCS: BULLSHIT! If one looks to the root cause, as the Democrats are wont to say, it's radical Jew-hating Islam.]

 Call for New Elections

Five months into this conflict, it is clear that Israelis need to take stock of the situation and ask: must we change course?

[OCS: We? I was not aware that the United States was directing Israel’s response to the heinous terrorist attack on October 7.]

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, at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government.

[OCS: Netanyahu is not the only one directing Israel’s response to terrorism as the government is operating with a “wartime cabinet” containing members of the opposition, including political foes of Netanyahu. If the Israelis want to change their government, let them do it without Democrat Party interference, which has been ongoing since former President and anti-Semite Barack Hussein Obama attempted to overthrow Netanyahu previously.]

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.

[OCS: Post-war future? With Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism, calling the shots in the region?]

Of course, the United States cannot dictate the outcome of an election, nor should we try. That is for the Israeli public to decide — 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.  

As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may. But the important thing is that Israelis are given a choice. There needs to be a fresh debate about the future of Israel after October 7.

In my opinion, that is best accomplished by holding an election.

[OCS: Let Israel determine what’s best for Israel.]

Two State Solution

And now, as a result of these inflamed tensions in both the Israeli and Palestinian communities, people on all sides of this war are turning away from a two-state solution — including Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who in recent weeks has said out loud repeatedly what many have long suspected by outright rejecting the idea of Palestinian statehood and sovereignty.

[OCS: Just who does Israel negotiate with? Jew-hating Iranian terrorist proxies? And, would this sovereign state have a military and the ability to obtain weapons, including aircraft and ballistic missiles, legitimately? After all, they would be a sovereign nation!]

As the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in our government, and a staunch defender of Israel, I rise today to say unequivocally: This is a grave mistake. For Israel. For Palestinians. For the region and the world.

…

As I said, there are also some Israelis who oppose even a two-state solution with a demilitarized Palestinian State because they fear that it might tolerate or be a harbor for further terrorism against a Jewish state.

I understand these fears. But the bitter reality is that a single state controlled by Israel, which they advocate, guarantees certain war forever, and further isolation of the Jewish community in the world to the extent that its future would be jeopardized.

Let me elaborate.

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. 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 — in effect creating a de facto single state — then what reasonable expectation can we have that Hamas and their allies will lay down their arms? It would mean constant war.

[OCS: Not destroying terrorists is insanity!]

Criticism of Netanyahu Government

I have known Prime Minister Netanyahu for a long time. While we have vehemently disagreed on many occasions, I will always respect his extraordinary bravery for Israel on the battlefield as a younger man. I believe in his heart his highest priority is the security of Israel.

However, I also believe Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel.

[OCS: The same could be said about the Democrat Party as they push a mentally deficient Biden as the President and Commander-in-Chief.]

He has put himself in coalition with far-right extremists like Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, and as a result, he has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows. Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.

[OCS: The same could be said about the Democrat Party as they affiliate with far-left extremists like Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and pro-Hamas organizations.]

Prime Minister Netanyahu has also weakened Israel’s political and moral fabric through his attempts to co-opt the judiciary. And he has shown zero interest in doing the courageous and visionary work required to pave the way for peace, even before this present conflict.

[OCS: The same could be said about the Democrat Party as they excoriate the Supreme Court and destroy the Rule of Law in the United States.]

As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me:

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

[OCS: Israel needs a Netanyahu after October 7, more than the United States needed feckless leadership after September 11.]

Nobody expects Prime Minister Netanyahu to do the things that must be done to break the cycle of violence, preserve Israel’s credibility on the world stage, and work towards a two-state solution.

[OCS: You dumb bastard! The only way to break the cycle of violence is to irradicate the aggressor completely. No surrender like in Afghanistan or "lead the world from behind" as Democrats.]

If he were to disavow Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, and kick them out of his governing coalition, that would be a real meaningful step forward.

[OCS: Perhaps you and your malevolent party need to be removed from our government?]

But regrettably, there is no reason to believe Prime Minister Netanyahu would do that.

He won’t disavow Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir and their calls for Israelis to drive Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank. He won’t commit to a military operation in Rafah that prioritizes protecting civilian life. He won’t engage responsibly in discussions about a “day-after” plan for Gaza, and a longer-term pathway to peace.

[OCS: A majority of Gazans support Hamas, teach their children to hate Jews, and should be resettled in Jordan, where they have historical roots.]

<Full speech in context>