Chuck Schumer: Top Jewish politician in US calls for Israel election and issues warning to Benjamin Netanyahu
The most senior Jewish politician in the US has labelled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an obstacle to peace and urged him to call an election.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, who has long been a supporter of Israel, said on the Senate floor that Mr Netanyahu‘s government “no longer fits the needs” of the country and that its people “are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past”.
The top Democrat said in his 45-minute speech: “As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may. But the important thing is that Israelis are given a choice.”
Mr Schumer, who is the first Jewish majority leader in the Senate, called for “a fresh debate about the future of Israel after October 7 [Hamas attack],” and said: “In my opinion, that is best accomplished by holding an election.”
Israel’s next parliamentary elections are expected to take place in 2026 but could be sooner.
Israel-Hamas latest: Ex-IDF commander calls for government to be ‘overthrown’
The senator previously positioned himself as an ally of the Israeli government, but his strongly-worded address saw him accuse Mr Netanyahu of putting himself in coalition with far-right extremists.
“As a result, he has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows,” Mr Schumer said.
Benjamin Netanyahu. Pic: AP
The senator’s unusually direct warning also saw him appear to call for US support for Israel to come with conditions.
“If extremists continue to unduly influence Israeli policy, then the administration should use tools at its disposal to make sure our support for Israel is aligned with our broader goal of peace and stability,” Mr Schumer added.
The Democrat, who backs a two-state solution, criticised Palestinians who support Hamas and called for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to step down.
“For there to be any hope of peace in the future, Abbas must step down and be replaced by a new generation of Palestinian leaders who will work towards attaining peace with a Jewish state,” he said.
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Israel reacts to Schumer’s address
A spokesperson for Mr Netanyahu’s office declined to comment “for now,” but his Likud party quickly said the country was not a banana republic and claimed its leader’s policies have wide public support.
A statement read: “Contrary to Schumer’s words, the Israeli public supports a total victory over Hamas, rejects any international dictates to establish a Palestinian terrorist state, and opposes the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza.
“Senator Schumer is expected to respect Israel’s elected government and not undermine it. This is always true, and even more so in wartime.”
Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said: “We expect the largest democracy in the world to respect Israeli democracy.”
Mr Schumer’s comments came as Joe Biden faces intense criticism from within his own party over Washington’s unconditional support for Israel, given the impact the Israel-Hamas conflict is having on Palestinian lives.
Israel launched its current military offensive in Gaza in the wake of Hamas’s 7 October attack and the number of Palestinians killed there is now more than 31,000, the Hamas-run health military has said.
A quarter of the remaining population is facing starvation, according to the United Nations.
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Onboard a Gaza aid airdrop plane
While continuing to supply weaponry to Israel, Mr Biden has pressured Mr Netanyahu to let aid into Gaza and began carrying out airdrops of supplies earlier this month.
Mr Biden last week confirmed that the US will soon establish a temporary port on the Gazan coast to increase the flow of aid to the region.
US
Oregon: Woman crushed by grand piano shows ‘amazing spirit’ after being told she will never walk again
A woman has been left unable to walk after a piano slipped and dropped on her while she was helping a friend move the instrument.
Danielle Drummond, 28, who had recently relocated from Cleveland, Ohio, to Oregon for a fresh start, is now hoping for a scientific breakthrough after the ordeal left her needing both a wheelchair and a carer.
She told Cleveland-based broadcaster 19 News she had tried to stabilise the piano when offering to help last month, but her friend lost her grip.
“She dropped like a whole upright grand piano on me, and it severed my spinal cord,” Ms Drummond said.
“Now, I’m paralysed from the waist down.”
Ms Drummond has no family in Eugene, the city in Oregon where she lives, and also needs to find a permanent home, having been living in a van with her dog, Lotus.
Danielle Drummond. Pic: GoFundMe
Compounding her problems, she does not know how she would begin to move back to her family in Cleveland and transfer all her belongings and medical equipment.
Her sister has set up a fundraising page to “support future medical needs”, with the aim of raising $10,000 (£7,850).
“Our family thanks you for all your support, consideration, thoughts, love and prayers,” her sister Rosie Hayne wrote, describing Ms Drummond as “strong”, “wise”, and “down to earth”.
In an update on the GoFundMe page, Ms Hayne added: “She wants to make it clear that she is not expecting to ever walk again.
“She has accepted the reality of her situation. But she has an amazing spirit and an overall positive outlook, focusing on what she can do.”
Ms Drummond told 19 News she hopes people going through similar circumstances “don’t give up”.
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Meanwhile, her wish remains for a new development in treatment.
“It definitely is a game change for me,” she said. “I try to stay hopeful.”
An unknown number of people have died after a powerful tornado ripped through a small town in Iowa.
Dramatic pictures showed the destruction left behind in Greenfield, with police confirming there had been fatalities and at least a dozen injuries, without being able to provide specific figures.
The devastation came as multiple tornadoes rolled through the US Midwest.
At least three 250-foot-high wind turbines were toppled by an apparent tornado in southwest Iowa.
One turbine was in flames, with black smoke pouring from the bent structure.
Officials said most of Greenfield, with a population of about 2,000 people, had been destroyed, with rescue efforts continuing in an attempt to find survivors.
A trail of destruction was left behind in Greenfield. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Buildings, including homes and businesses, were flattened, trees shredded, and vehicles thrown down the streets which were left strewn with piles of debris.
Sgt Alex Dinkla, a spokesperson for the Iowa State Patrol, said: “This tornado has devastated a good portion of this town.
“Sadly, we can confirm that there have been fatalities. We’re still counting at this time.”
The extreme conditions in Iowa brought down wind turbines. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
He said Greenfield’s hospital was among the buildings that were damaged, which meant at least a dozen people who were hurt had to be taken to facilities elsewhere.
Residents helped each other salvage their belongings as they tried to come to terms with what had happened.
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Read more on Sky News:
Extreme weather gripping different parts of the world
Four killed as severe thunderstorms sweep across Texas
Rogue Paxton said he sheltered in the basement of his home when the storm moved through.
He told WOI-TV he thought his family was lucky not to lose their house.
“But everyone else is not so much, like my brother Cody, his house just got wiped,” he said.
“Then you see all these people out here helping each other.
“Everything’s going to be fine because we have each other, but it’s just going to be really, really rough. It is a mess.”
The storms followed days of extreme weather which has ravaged much of the middle section of the US.
Strong winds, large hail and tornadoes swept across parts of Oklahoma and Kansas late Sunday, damaging homes and injuring two people.
A former model has accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her at his New York City recording studio in 2003 in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday.
Crystal McKinney’s allegations are just the latest in a series of accusations made against the rapper and producer.
McKinney says she was a successful 22-year-old model when she met Combs at a restaurant during Men’s Fashion Week in Manhattan.
The music mogul invited her to his recording studio later that night, according to the federal complaint filed in New York City.
The lawsuit states McKinney arrived and found Combs drinking and smoking cannabis with several other men.
She smoked some marijuana, which she “later came to understand” was laced with another narcotic or intoxicating substance, the lawsuit claims.
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‘Diddy’ apologises after assault video
McKinney says she felt as though she was floating, then Combs led her to the bathroom, where he sexually assaulted her, according to the lawsuit.
Combs then led her back to the studio where she lost consciousness, later waking in a taxi where she realised what had happened.
Combs is yet to respond to these latest allegations.
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The lawsuit comes just days after CNN aired security video that showed Combs attacking singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.
Cassie, an R&B singer whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, was his protege and girlfriend at the time.
On Sunday, the 54-year-old, released a video saying he was “truly sorry” and his actions were “inexcusable”.
He is not in danger of being criminally prosecuted for the beating because of the statute of limitations.
Combs, whose homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Homeland Security Investigations agents in March, has faced a series of public allegations of physical and sexual violence as well as sex trafficking.
A lawsuit filed by Cassie in November alleging beatings and abuse was settled a day after it was filed.
The claim on Tuesday was filed under a New York City law that allows accusers to file civil litigation during a limited window, even if the events allegedly happened long ago.
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