It looks like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer may be telling fibs about his reaction to the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader arrived in Washington, D.C., last week to address Congress about the war between Israel and Hamas. Hamas is an internationally recognized terrorist organization that has political control of Gaza, next door to Israel.
Schumer claimed that he refused to shake hands with Netanyahu, though photographs of the day in question clearly depict that handshake happening. It appears that Schumer may have refused to repeat the gesture when he knew he was publicly in front of cameras later in the day when Netanyahu walked down the aisle in the House.
On Sunday, July 28, Schumer appeared on the CBS show Face The Nation to further explain the incident to host Robert Acosta. Schumer said he attended Netanyahu’s address, but that he has “serious disagreements” with Israel’s military policy and its prosecution of the war.
Schumer did not directly answer Acosta’s question about why he did not shake Netanyahu’s hand. It was clearly a calculated snub, though, as this kind of refusal is universally agreed to be a serious breach of diplomatic protocol.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants crossed the Israeli border and raped and murdered more than 1,000 people attending an outdoor music festival. Hamas claims its brutality was an act of “self defense” against Israel, which it says has no right to exist, and which it calls a colonial nation that is “oppressing” the Palestinian people.
Here in the states, the issue of the Israel-Hamas war has ripped the Democratic Party to shreds. Traditionally strongly supportive of the Jewish state, the modern Democratic Party is split over the conflict. More moderate Democrats believe Israel is justified in its ongoing war to destroy Hamas, while the party’s more progressive-leftist wing accuses Israel of committing “genocide” against Palestinians.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, along with about half of Congressional Democrats, refused to attend Netanyahu’s Congressional address in an act of protest.
This is only Schumer’s most recent expression of displeasure with Israel. In March he gave a speech on the Senate floor calling for Netanyahu to be ejected from upcoming Israeli elections. Most prominent Jewish leaders and commentators objected loudly to Schumer’s remarks.