New York – Senator Chuck Schumer harshly criticized the Obama Administration’s attempts to exert pressure on Israel today, making him the highest-ranking Democrat to object to Obama’s policies in such blunt terms.
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Schumer, along with a majority of members of the House and Senate, signed on to letters politely suggesting the U.S. keep its disagreements with Israel private, a tacit objection to the administration’s very public rebuke of the Jewish State over construction in Jerusalem last month.
But Schumer dramatically sharpened his tone on the politically conservative Jewish Nachum Segal Show today, calling the White House stance to date “counter-productive” and describing his own threat to “blast” the Administration had the State Department not backed down from its “terrible” tough talk toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Schumer, a hawkish ally of Israel since his days as a Brooklyn Congressman, described “a battle going on inside the administration” over Middle East policy.
“This has to stop,” he said of the administration’s policy of publicly pressuring Israel to end construction in Jerusalem.
“I told the President, I told Rahm Emanuel and others in the administration that I thought the policy they took to try to bring about negotiations is counter-productive, because when you give the Palestinians hope that the United States will do its negotiating for them, they are not going to sit down and talk,” Schumer told Segal. “Palestinians don’t really believe in a state of Israel. They, unlike a majority of Israelis, who have come to the conclusion that they can live with a two-state solution to be determined by the parties, the majority of Palestinians are still very reluctant, and they need to be pushed to get there.
“If the U.S. says certain things and takes certain stands the Palestinians say, ‘Why should we negotiate?'” Schumer said.
Schumer described the recent confrontation over construction in Jerusalem as a “kerfuffle.”
“Israel apologized and when Biden left, and Biden is the best friend of Israel in the administration [and] everything was fine,” Schumer said. “But then what happened is the next day Hillary Clinton called up Netanyahu and talked very tough to him, and worse they made it public through this spokesperson, a guy named Crowley. And Crowley said something I have never heard before, which is, the relationship of Israel and the United States depends on the pace of the negotiations.”
Schumer was referring to State Department spokesman PJ Crowley’s description of Clinton’s conversation with Netanyahu, in which he said that Clinton “made clear that the Israeli government needed to demonstrate not just through words but through specific actions that they are committed to this relationship and to the peace process.”
“That is terrible,” Schumer said today. “That is the dagger because the relationship is much deeper than the disagreements on negotiations, and most Americans—Democrat, Republican, Jew, non-Jew–would feel that. So I called up Rahm Emanuel and I called up the White House and I said, ‘If you don’t retract that statement you are going to hear me publicly blast you on this,'” Schumer said.
Schumer said the White House had backed off that statement, but that now “many of us are pushing back, some of the Jewish members will be meeting with the President next week or the week after, and we are saying that this has to stop.”
“You have to show Israel that it’s not going to be forced to do things it doesn’t want to do and can’t do. At the same time you have to show the Palestinians that they are not going to get their way by just sitting back and not giving in, and not recognizing that there is a state of Israel,” Schumer said. “And right now there is a battle going on inside the administration, one side agrees with us, one side doesn’t, and we’re pushing hard to make sure the right side wins and if not we’ll have to take it to the next step.”
The full transcript of Segal’s interview with Schumer is after the jump.
Chuck Schumer Interview with Nachum Segal 4/22/10
Nachum Segal: Straight to what has become one of the most concerning issues in the Jewish Community certainly, and for anybody in the United States, and anywhere in the world who cares somewhat, or more, about Israel. There is a perception that the White House and Jerusalem are not enjoying the same type of relationship that the White House and Jerusalem have enjoyed in the past. Need we be concerned?
SCHUMER: Well of course we should be concerned, and the thing we should most be concerned about, of course, the threat to Israel…I mean it always changes but it’s always there it seems to be the fate if Israel and
it seems to be the fate of the Jewish people. Right now what are the threats? I would rank them in this order: Greatest threat- Nuclear Iran, obviously as Netanyahu has said that’s an existential threat. Second greatest threat- SCUDs in Syria these are rockets
that can go four or five hundred miles and carry a bigger payload and could be launched by Hezbollah and hit any part of Israel far more damaging and devastating than the katyusha rockets. And third actually is what everyone is focused on, which is the disagreements
between the United States and Israel, very real, on how to sit down and negotiate with the Palestinians. The irony is Nachum, on the first two, if you talk to the Prime Minister if you talk to the Israeli military, US-Israeli cooperation continues strong and
hand in glove. Both the US and Israel greatly fear a nuclear Iran, and there are very serious discussions going on as to how to deal with it. We in the Congress Senator Lieberman and myself, Senator Bayh, are working up our sanctions bill, which even if the
UN sanctions are weak we could have unilateral sanctions by the United States, for instance, if you cut of gasoline. Iranians do not produce their own gasoline, and by the way the Iranian people are ready to rebel and overthrow this regime, and if we would
squeeze them economically that could happen.
SEGAL: If in fact all this is true, and let’s assume there is no reason not to believe that it’s true, that in fact Israel and the United States continue the same cooperation level they have had in the past, and we
know that when it comes to serious matters, especially military matters, it’s been great cooperation, Why wouldn’t the President of the U.S. want that perception to be out there? Why would he want to alienate so many who care about Israel.
SCHUMER: Nachum this is the question I talked to Rahm Emanuel about, and the President about this week. I told the President, I told Rahm Emanuel and others in the administration that I thought the policy they took
to try to bring about negotiations is counter-productive, because when you give the Palestinians hope that the United States will do its negotiating for them, they are not going to sit down and talk. Palestinians don’t really believe in a state of Israel,
they, unlike a majority of Israelis, who have come to the conclusion that they can live with a 2-state solution to be determined by the parties, the majority of Palestinians are still very reluctant, and they need to be pushed to get there. If the U.S. says
certain things and takes certain stands the Palestinians say, “Why should we negotiate?” So that’s bad and that should change and we are working on changing it. But the other two are very good, according to both the Israeli government and the Israeli military
and the U.S. government. But we should make that known, why don’t they? I asked them to do just that, I said we should make it public because it will, at least, give people, who are supportive of Israel, Jew and non-Jew alike, a little bit of solace.
SEGAL: That I agree with. But then you see the Gates memo which has become its own sort of entity out there, and you wonder about what type of support the United States could give Israel if, god-forbid, they were
attacked by Iran.
SCHUMER: I do think that this administration, like previous ones, realizes a nuclear Iran is devastating and is a very bad thing. By the way, not just for Israel but for the whole Middle-East and for world peace and
I think they’re working strenuously to avoid it. They are having more success in this area than the previous administration, they are trying to get some of the Europeans, and even the Russians and Chinese to impose sanctions, but we are moving in the Senate
and the house to achieve any unilateral action that the U.S. can take. If we tell any major oil company that if they sell gasoline to Iran, directly or indirectly, they can’t sell any oil product in the U.S., then they will stop selling gasoline to Iran and
the Iranian economy will have real problems. This will, at the very minimum, divert the leadership from their nuclear strategy and could bring down the regime. This is important and good. Let’s talk about the bad. Let’s talk about, what I’m sure your listeners
are most aggravated about, is what’s happened in the last while in Israel. Let me say this: things were going pretty well, until a couple of months ago, for this reason—the Netanyahu administration, with money from the U.S., had gotten the PA on the west bank
to have their own police force and have them come down on the terrorists , for their own self interest not to protect the Jewish people. It has worked, not only are there fewer killings of Jews on the Israeli side of the fence, but there are many fewer in
the other side because there is a Palestinian police force and they have put those terrorists in line. As a result Israel has been able to take down 27 of the checkpoints and as a result of that there is some economic growth in the west bank. Its growing at
7-8%, Netanyahu brags that — when he came here I spent a lot of time with him – That there are multiplex theatres in places like Ramallah and Janeen. At the same time that is happening, there is prosperity with the more moderate Palestinian Authority in the
west bank, and Hamas in Gaza is being squeezed and people there are doing very badly. Not only because Israel has blocked off the border and not let anything into Gaza, and I support Israel in doing that, and it may be tough on the Palestinian people, but
when they vote for Hamas they are going to have to suffer the consequences. But also because Egypt is preventing all the tunnels from going under the Gaza-Egyptian border, not so much because they want to help Israel but they don’t want the terrorists infiltrating
from Gaza into Egypt. So the Palestinians were beginning to see those who talked about living in coexistence with Israel, and not terrorism, and not wiping it out, such as the PA on the west bank would do better, and those who talked about destroying Israel,
and shooting rockets into it were doing horrible.
SEGAL. I don’t think the checkpoint and open highway point is one we are going to agree on Senator. But I want to move to another hot point which is Syria, it seems, and I’m not sure how many people would consider
these confirmed reports or not and I’m sure you know more about this than I do, but Syria is making sure that Hezbollah, north of Israel is being armed with SCUD missiles at this point. And you know that Washington is making efforts to try and strengthen the
diplomatic relationship with Syria. Do you think that’s outrageous?
SCHUMER: I do, and think that’s stopped. They are working very hard to put pressure on the Syrians both diplomatic and then maybe economic, to stop this and it’s intolerable and that has to change. Let me just finish
this dialogue about Israel for a minute. All we have to do is leave things alone, and you might get the Palestinians more willing to sit down and actually discuss peace because they would see the contrast. When Biden was in Israel and there was this kerfuffle
over settlements which is in Israeli Jerusalem 20 minutes from downtown and should never have been an issue to begin with, but they probably shouldn’t have made the announcement when Biden was there. But Israel apologized and when Biden left, and Biden is
the best friend of Israel in the administration everything was fine. But then what happened is the next day Hillary Clinton called up Netanyahu and talked very tough to him, and worse they made it pubic through this spokesperson, a guy named Crowley.
And Crowley said something I have never heard before, which is, the relationship of Israel and the United States depends on the pace of the negotiations. That is terrible. That is the dagger because the relationship is much deeper than the disagreements
on negotiations, and most Americans—Democrat, Republican, Jew, non-Jew–would feel that. So I called up Rahm Emanuel and I called up the White House and I said, “If you don’t retract that statement you are going to hear me publicly blast you on this.”
Of course they did retract it. Now what’s happened, and many of us are pushing back, some of the Jewish members will be meeting with the President next week or the week after, and we are saying that this has to stop. You have to have, in terms of the negotiations,
you have to show Israel that it’s not going to be forced to do things it doesn’t want to do and can’t do. At the same time you have to show the Palestinians that they are not going to get their way by just sitting back and not giving in, and not recognizing
that there is a state of Israel. And right now there is a battle going on inside the administration, one side agrees with us, one side doesn’t, and we’re pushing hard to make sure the right side wins and if not we’ll have to take it to the next step.
SEGAL: You know Senator Schumer, the perception among New York state residents, and I’m one of them as you know, is there likely is no one closer in the Senate to the President than you.
SCHUMER: That’s not quite true, but I have an ear and frankly I spent time on the phone just yesterday talking to him about this, and telling him that I didn’t quite understand the United States policy, because even
if the goal is to bring about talks of peace, it was counter-productive because it’s encouraging the Palestinians not to sit down.
SEGAL: More than ¾ of the Senate, including a lot of democrats, signed the letter to Sec. of State Clinton rebuking the administration for these confrontational stances toward Israel. Were you surprised that names
like Kerry, Dodd, Durbin, Leahy and Reid were not included in that letter?
SCHUMER: well I think Senator Reid signed the letter, some didn’t sign but the majority of both parties signed. And we’ll have other letters and other meetings to keep pushing that. I think you can say there are a
handful of people who are not sympathetic to Israel in the Senate of each party, but 90% of the Senate is overwhelmingly in support of Israel. And one of my jobs, as you know is to rally those forces to do strong poll work for this year (couldn’t hear this
part perfectly). Believe me I think the policy has to change, and I’m working hard to make it change and I think it will. Every administration at the beginning has this view even Ronald Reagan, the best friend Israel ever had, do you remember his first 2 years?
When George Schultz wanted to sell (couldn’t hear) to Saudi Arabia? Every administration has this idea to talk tough to Israel and make nice to the Arabs and the Palestinians and that’s the way to bring about peace. It’s counter-productive, it’s actually the
opposite. The only way the Palestinians will sit down and talk is if they know Israel and the United States are as close as could be. And each administration learns it. Schultz had to learn it and Reagan had to learn it. Clinton did it in the early years and
later became a very good friend of Israel. George Bush the first did it and never got over it, (SEGAL laughing muffles SCHUMER). We are at a crucial moment here and I am hopeful that administration will see the right way to go. I am working on it. I don’t believe
that have made any definitive decision, and as I have said on both Iran on Syria there is close cooperation, you can check with your Israeli contacts Nachum and they will confirm that. So we just have to get this third part right and I’m working hard to do
it and I’m optimistic that that can happen.
SEGAL: Good to hear that. Finally Senator, just for our own curiosity, just like the most recent justice appointed to the Supreme Court, will the next one also be a New Yorker?
SCHUMER: I don’t know. I would like it to be, I recommended the first one. I have 3 criteria for Supreme Court Justices: they should be legally excellent, they should be moderate as is typical of my politics I don’t
want too far right or far left, and diversity, which means different ethnic groups and everything else. Luckily in terms of Jewish people we have good representation in terms of the Supreme Court. That will continue. One thing I want to assure your listeners
Nachum, my name as you know comes from a Hebrew word. It comes from the word shomer, which mean guardian. My ancestors were guardians of the ghetto wall in Chortkov and I believe Hashem, actually, gave me name as one of my roles that is very important in the
United States Senate to be a shomer to be A. a shomer for Israel and I will continue to be that with every bone in my body for of the other is against me.
SEGAL: can I ask you one other favor Senator? To be a shomer against the value-add tax?
SCHUMER: I am against it. I’m not sure it’s needed but I will be a shomer against it.
SEGAL: always a pleasure Senator, thanks so much for joining us.
SCHUMER: Nachum, nice to see you and I hope you readership continues to go in peace and prosperity.
Looks like Senator Schumer is reading our comments here on VIN News
Do I smell an election in 2010 from chucky schmucky?
Boruch hashem , he stood up for us!
big deal.he said it on nachum seagal. where has he been till now and will he say it just like that on the 6 o’clock news or sunday am news shows? don’t think so.
“The only way the Palestinians will sit down and talk is if they know Israel and the United States are as close as could be. And each administration learns it. Schultz had to learn it and Reagan had to learn it. Clinton did it in the early years and later became a very good friend of Israel.”
What he been eating? Clinton has created the PA their autonomous territory and Arafat. He gave them a police force and guns. Hillary was the very first person in white house to mention a Palastinian state. After it was very clear that Arafat has a revolving door where terrorists are released as soon as they are arrested, he still continued to push Barak to return 96% of the territories to that terrorist. That was in his very last year as president. He was a selfish calculated opportunist,
Fifteen years late we have two thousand dead woman and children as a direct result of Oslo, a Hamastan, expectations that Israel resume the suicidal policy (that didn’t exist under George W Bush) to give land first and than hope for peace.
Clinton was and is worse than Carter or Obama (for now). People need to realize that Clinton is an enemy who cloaks himself as a friend, and those are the worst enemies.
Why isn’t he making a statemnt on CNN, NYT like he did with the airlines?
this is so funney that it makes me laugh . how come when our Senator Chuck Schumer harshly criticizes the Obama administration we don’t here much about like the other things that our Senator Chuck Schumer criticizes every Sunday morning . to Senator Chuck Schumer we jews are second class citrizins.
He woke up! He’s alive! He’s alive, I tell you!
He makes me laugh, he said
“as is typical of my politics I don’t
want too far right or far left”
He’s gotta be kidding me. He’s as far left as they come.
thanx senator Chuck E. Schumer, i know ur doing this for the election day
i dont believe a word this schumer says. its not brave to go on a jewish music station and speak about how u are against obamas policy on israel .why dont u schumer go on a national tv station like mayor koch did .mayer koch is the true shomer for israel not u schumer .. we jews should never vote for this schumer.
It’s about time. What took him so long?
The problem is that President Obama knows that Schumer is in an election mode and is running around trying to muster the votes for the democrats. Obama totally disregards what Schumer says and gives him leeway to say what he wants and he does what he wants. Its simply called playing politics. We yiddalech have little saichel and time and again eat into this baloney.
his speech is pretty nice & u know i think he is trying his hardest to fade off the obama adminstration, he sees the danger of socialism.
Shumer is out in the garbage. those are the words of hanitty and Rush.
Shumer knows he’s in trouble so he will say anything that we want to hear. lets not be duped.
well he found speaking up for $ 40.00 carry on luggage more important than obama dumping the jewish state. he is just too late now.. he already caused his reelection down the drain. we jews will not vote for him because he doesnt speak up for his voters that elected him..bye bye smucky shumer..
Be very wary of trusting in the least bit a jew who is so far removed from yiddishkeit. They are the worst and he’s just doing his best to fool you.
Thank you Sen. Schumer for saying the right things and speaking up against the president’s nonsense against Israel.
I’m not impressed! Expressing this to us Frum crowd is pure politics. Had he shouted from the pulpit in Washington or at the very least in his own empire (Albany) then I would say it is “genuine”. So late in the game to so insular a crowd, isn’t significant.
Obama will hang him like he would hang anyone else. Obama will take Chcuk U to the woodshed and give him a woopin just like Obama would to anyone else who gets in his way.
Well, this is the Shumer I know! I am not young and I have always known him way back as being a very staunch supporter of Israel, not because he spoke once at Young Israel of Flatbush so many years ago, as well as a religious Zionist organization back then.
I give him credit that he said it on nochum segel as long as its quoted on politico
A. Good news blog like policitco has better exposure then cnn
Wonder why he mentions all those Presidents as learning the hard way, but doesn’t mentioned G. W. Bush. Thats because GW was the only one who got it from day 1, and was a great friend of Israel. Give credit were credits is due.
And no, I don’t care how many times they say it Biden is no friend of Israel. His voting record proofs it.
Shumer sees a tv camera and he is there Why didnt he say this 2 weeks ago to the national and international media not known to be shy
he is full of it scared of obama
Shumer like all of the other democrats that have crashed and burned the USA sees his political career in a tail spin…where was he when this started
Sen. Rip Van Schumer woke up !! Pardon the pun!! Where has he been all these weeks?? months?? Where was he when Bibi was here?? I did not hear anything. Did you?? Do you smell November coming up and somebody is going to need our votes??? He is going to say what we want to hear now. What I want to know is what is going to happen after November 10th 2010?? Whose side will he be on??
Unfortunately, Schumer is a shoo-in for reelection. He’s got a war chest in the millions, the Republicans can’t even find someone who is willing to take him on. The frum Jews in BP & Flatbush are fractured into 2 different congressional districts (thanks to Shelly Silver in Albany for gerrymandering us).
We have to find a way to unite. We have to PUBLICLY & LOUDLY make our pain heard so that they finally truly hear us. And WE HAVE TO VOTE. No more ridiculous excuses like I’ll get called for jury duty, I don’t have time, my vote does’nt count, Hashem is running the wrold so what difference does it make.
Why doesn’t he hold a new conference, as he does for every inconsequential issue? No one in the country will know what he said on the Nachum Segal show. His tough talk on the Nachum Segal program is only intended to placate his Orthodox Jewish constituency (who are the only listeners) while not really challenging the Obama administration. If he were a real man, he’d hold a new conference on capital hill and challenge Obama. Instead, he is taking the cowardly way out.
jews fall for such crap thats are down fall .i ask hashem for help
I guess that Chucky Boy read the polls and saw his re-election prospects dwindling. This guy is totally guided by the polls. I would not believe a word that comes out opf his mouth.
Lets see how big a k’nocker Shumer is. It’s easy for him to blab away on a local Jewish radio show. Let’s see him do a Sunday news conference and say the same thing!
not sure why so many people think schumer thinks making jews happy will win him an election.
We are barely 10% of the population in NYS and (unfortunately) many of us are not even registered to vote.
Too little, too late!!!
For someone who is usually ahead of the game on issues,
What Took You Soooooo Long, Sen. Schumer???????????????????????
The voters won’t forget come election time!!!
He loves quoting that his name derives from “shomer”. He hasn’t been doing a very good job of being a shomer on this issue. Chuck, you had better continue to voice this opinion and stick with it in all the media.
I do not believe that he is a shoe in any more!!! He is going to have to sweat for his votes this year!!!! You cannot be a fence sitter and expect to be elected!!
Schumer is full of it. As long as a Jewish democratic officeholder stays in the democratic party, that person is a traitor to the Jewish people.