Top Democrat Schumer Calls For New Elections In Israel, Saying Netanyahu Is An Obstacle To Peace

FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, poses for a picture with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 15, 2017. Schumer is calling on Israel to hold new elections. Schumer says he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost his way” amid the Israeli bombardment of Gaza and a growing humanitarian crisis there. Schumer is the first Jewish majority leader in the Senate and the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S.. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling on Israel to hold new elections.

He says he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost his way” and is an obstacle to peace in the region amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Schumer is the first Jewish majority leader in the Senate and the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S.

He strongly criticized Netanyahu in a lengthy speech Thursday.

He said Netanyahu has put himself in a coalition of far-right extremists and “as a result, he has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza.”

The speech drew a swift reprisal from Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who said immediately after Schumer’s remarks that “Israel deserves an ally that acts like one.”