THE RIFT OVER THE WAR IN GAZA between Israel and the U.S. broadened Sunday when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on CNN’s “State of the Union” accused Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) of treating his country like a “banana republic.” Netanyahu, who is facing increasing pressure to negotiate a cease-fire, lashed out at Schumer over his call for elections in Israel when the war winds down. On Thursday, Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S., delivered a scathing speech on the Senate floor where he accused Netanyahu of letting his political survival supersede “the best interests of Israel” and of being “too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza.”
Allegedly, more than 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since Israel invaded the enclave in October in response to terror attacks by Hamas. The clash comes as Netanyahu is preparing a ground offensive in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than a million have taken shelter. Netanyahu said on Sunday he would continue with the military campaign, where aid agencies say famine is looming, while ceasefire talks were set to resume. Israel’s allies — including President Biden — have piled pressure on Netanyahu not to attack Rafah without a plan to protect civilians (Reuters).
Because the death count is compiled by the local Ministry of Health (MOH), an agency controlled by Hamas, which governs Gaza, the tally has been subject to skepticism. Israel’s U.N. ambassador and online pundits have purported that the numbers are exaggerated or, as a recent article in Tablet alleged, simply faked.
“We will operate in Rafah. This will take several weeks, and it will happen,” Netanyahu said, without clarifying if he meant the assault would last for weeks or would begin in weeks.
