Jeffries on Schumer Calling for Bibi’s Ouster: GOP ‘Trying to Politicize’ U.S.-Israel Relationship ‘As Opposed to Leaning in’

On Tuesday’s broadcast of “CNN NewsNight,” House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) responded to questions on Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) calling for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be voted out of office by stating that he is confident that “at the appropriate time, the Israeli people will make the right decision in terms of what’s in the best interests of the future of Israel.” And it’s “unfortunate that some of my extreme MAGA Republican colleagues, once again, are trying to politicize the issue of the relationship between the United States and Israel, as opposed to leaning in at a time when Israel is in the middle of a war against Hamas.”

Host Abby Phillip asked, “Schumer says he doesn’t believe that Netanyahu can continue to serve as Prime Minister. Do you agree with him on that, that Netanyahu is not the best person to lead Israel into a future, to lead the region into a peaceful future?”

Jeffries responded, “As I’ve said, I’ve got every confidence that, at the appropriate time, the Israeli people will make the right decision in terms of what’s in the best interests of the future of Israel. Right now, we have a situation where, Hamas, of course, has to be decisively defeated, we need to get the hostages out, and surge humanitarian assistance in to help out innocent Palestinian civilians who are in harm’s way through no fault of their own.”

Phillip followed up, “Was Schumer right to address this issue at all? Netanyahu was pretty upset that, he said, that a Democratic official in the United States was wading into Israel’s domestic policies.”

Jeffries answered, “Leader Schumer, throughout his career, has been an incredibly strong supporter of the special relationship between the United States and Israel, and I believe he will continue to be moving forward. And it is unfortunate that some of my extreme MAGA Republican colleagues, once again, are trying to politicize the issue of the relationship between the United States and Israel, as opposed to leaning in at a time when Israel is in the middle of a war against Hamas.”

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