Chuck Schumer and Democrats’ New Line on “Netanyahu’s War” (Jewish Currents)
“Instead of constituting a substantive shift in US support for Israel, experts say, Democrats’ emboldened critique of Netanyahu should be understood as an attempt to respond to growing voter frustration without changing policy, as the Biden administration remains unwilling to use US aid and arms exports to Israel as leverage to demand a change in behavior. In this context, the choice to focus on Netanyahu ‘is a political decision to avoid outright criticism of Israel’s war conduct,’ said Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace. For Schumer, in particular, blaming Netanyahu as an individual was a way ‘to avoid the implication that he is lessening his support for the Israeli state or the Israeli people,’ she said. ‘Instead, Schumer is focusing on a man who is unpopular among Democrats to say, ‘See, we are standing up for our values, so voters should stop being mad at us.’’”