Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who drew intense criticism, including from fellow Democrats and major American Jewish organizations, last month for calling for early Israeli elections, appeared to double down on Wednesday, citing Benny Gantz, an Israeli minister without portfolio.
“When a leading member of Israel’s war cabinet calls for early elections and over 70% of the Israeli population agrees according to a major poll, you know it’s the right thing to do,” Schumer wrote.
In his social-media post, Schumer linked to a story in the Israeli press about Gantz calling for early Israeli elections in September.
The poll that Schumer cited is one that the Israel Democracy Institute released on Feb. 6. The poll appeared to present the numbers differently.
“Only a minority of our respondents currently think that the next Knesset elections should be held on their original date, in November 2026,” per the Israel Democracy Institute.
“A large majority (71%) believe that the elections should be brought forward, with 38% of the opinion that elections should be held when the war ends and 33% that elections should be announced now and then held in around three months’ time, as the law requires in such cases,” it added.
