U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) plans to lead a delegation of members of Congress to Israel this weekend “to show the United States’ unwavering support for Israel,” a spokesperson for the senator told JNS.
Schumer “will meet with the new unity government, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, as well as President Isaac Herzog,” per the spokesperson. “Sen. Schumer will discuss what resources the United States can provide to support Israel on all fronts.”
In recent days, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken have also visited Israel. The Pentagon also dispatched the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the region to dissuade other countries or groups from entering the war.
Schumer—the highest-ranking elected U.S. Jewish official—recently returned from a trip to China, where he said he “pointedly” asked Chinese President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to “strengthen” their statement condemning Hamas. “They did,” he wrote.
“The bipartisan Senate delegation I’m leading met with a group of ambassadors of allied nations at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Beijing. We expressed our support for Israel and urged their governments to do everything they can to stand in solidarity with the country,” Schumer wrote on Oct. 10.
He also discussed the importance of supporting Israel with the South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, he wrote.
Also on Oct. 10, Schumer and the bipartisan delegation of senators spoke by phone with Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke by phone, per a readout from Herzog’s office. The senators expressed “their outrage and condemnation of the horrific attack by Hamas on the citizens of Israel, and their deepest condolences for the terrible loss of life.”
On Oct. 11, Schumer spoke with National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz, who told the senator he had “deep appreciation for his unrelenting support for Israel and his commitment to Israel’s security. I conveyed plainly, this is Israel’s 9/11.”
Of pro-Hamas rallies in New York, Schumer wrote on Oct. 8: “I can’t think of anything more ill-timed and cold-hearted than today’s demonstration in Times Square. We’ve seen unprecedented viciousness coming from Hamas aimed at innocent families and children. Everyone—no matter your views—should condemn this brutal act.”
