Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) echoed Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) calls for a new election in Israel to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid the rising death tolls in Gaza.
Bowman said Netanyahu “needs to be removed,” calling him a “maniac” during a Saturday MSNBC appearance. He said Netanyahu is blocking peace in the region.
“The majority of Gaza has already been destroyed through acts of collective punishment by this maniac, Benjamin Netanyahu. I’m 100% with Senator Schumer. He needs to be removed. He is a blockade to a pathway to peace,” Bowman said. “And we need a ceasefire right now. That’s what we should be focused on — humanitarian aid, not weapons.”
Bowman also criticized the Biden administration for recently giving Israel military aid, including twenty-five F-35 fighter jets. When asked if Congress should have been notified about the decision to give aid, Bowman said “Oh, absolutely.”
“Congress should have been notified and forget the politics of it. This is about our humanity, and this is about our morality,” Bowman said.
He defended his position on X that night.
“This is about people, not politics. We must do everything in our power to ensure a permanent ceasefire, not send more bombs and weapons,” Bowman posted on X. “The majority of our country and of NY-16 agree: we need lasting peace and that means a permanent ceasefire.”
This is about people, not politics.
We must do everything in our power to ensure a permanent ceasefire, not send more bombs and weapons.
The majority of our country and of NY-16 agree: we need lasting peace and that means a permanent ceasefire. pic.twitter.com/dIOmQC5nLU
— Rep. Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (@JamaalBowmanNY) March 30, 2024
He also confirmed his position that there should be a permanent ceasefire in the region, which he said the majority of the public supports.
“We have hundreds of thousands of children starving to death in Gaza right now, as we speak, the majority of the American people support a permanent ceasefire,” Bowman said.
“The majority of my district supports a permanent ceasefire. We need a permanent ceasefire. We need to bring in hundreds of trucks that are five miles away from Gaza right now of aid, to save as many lives as possible. There’s a humanitarian crisis,” he said.
On Friday, the Biden administration authorized additional aid to Israel to support its war on Hamas. They gave “1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs,” according to Reuters.
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Last week, Biden acknowledged the growing deaths in Gaza. In reaction to pro-Palestinian protesters interrupting a campaign event in North Carolina, Biden said they had a point and asked the audience to be patient with him.
“They have a point,” Biden said. “We need to get a lot more care into Gaza.”