Couch Diplomacy

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) delivered a speech on the Senate floor, during which he criticized Israel’s military for going “over the top” in its response to the Hamas October 7 surprise attack and called for elections to be held in Israel.

The Senator has long been a staunch supporter of Israel and was a featured speaker during a pro-Israel rally held in Washington DC in November. “Even in its darkest days, the US has always stood with Israel and we will do everything to see that never, ever changes,” he proclaimed from the podium.

“[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows. Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.”

But with the continual flow of horrific images coming out of Gaza and cratering support for Israel, particularly among the Democratic base, Schumer has since changed his tune, now calling for regime change in Israel.

The US is no stranger to promoting regime change, having run and funded coups around the world. Typically, that is done through so-called “Non Governmental Organizations” like the National Endowment for Democracy, which serves as an unofficial arm of the CIA.

But Schumer’s approach for Israel was a bit different, lazier. He simply called for it on the Senate floor. Then again, with the US national debt rising by $1 trillion roughly every 100 days, maybe Schumer is looking for some cost savings. American regime change ain’t what it used to be.