Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the call of US Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to hold new elections. UNN reports with reference to The Wall Street Journal.
Details
Netanyahu said that the call for new elections is "completely inappropriate" and damaging to Israel's war against Hamas. He also said that calls for new elections only distract from resolving the conflict.
The only government we should be working to overthrow now is the terrorist tyranny in Gaza
Netanyahu has promised to resist any pressure on Israel to weaken its commitment to eliminating Hamas.
On Sunday, he said that Israel was increasing the number of food trucks allowed to enter Gaza, but that Hamas looting of the trucks was a problem preventing aid from reaching civilians.
According to Israeli officials, Rafah, the last significant Hamas stronghold, is essential to the destruction of the group's fighters. Hamas still maintains four battalions there. On Friday, Netanyahu approved the plans for the offensive after a meeting of the military cabinet, although no details were made public.
Recall
Netanyahu has repeatedly refused to commit to early elections. He has cited polls showing that most Israelis want early elections, but only after the war is recognized as over.
However, the Biden administration has increasingly criticized the Israeli prime minister over his handling of the conflict with Hamas. Schumer, a New York Democrat and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S. government, said last weekthat Netanyahu has "lost his way" and called for new elections aimed at selecting a new government.
The current Israeli government is less than a year old, and the next scheduled elections are due in 2026.