Chuck Schumer On Gaza: 'Strangle' Them Economically

Think Progress:

This past Wednesday, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) delivered a wide-ranging speech at an Orthodox Union event in Washington, D.C. The senator's lecture touched on areas such as Iran's nuclear program, the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and several domestic policy issues.

During one point of his speech, Schumer turned his attention to the situation in Gaza. He told the audience that the "Palestinian people still don't believe in the Jewish state, in a two-state solution," and also that "they don't believe in the Torah, in David." He went on to say "you have to force them to say Israel is here to stay."

New York's senior senator explained that the current Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip -- which is causing a humanitarian crisis there -- is not only justified because it keeps weapons out of the Palestinian territory, but also because it shows the Palestinians living there that "when there's some moderation and cooperation, they can have an economic advancement." Summing up his feelings, Schumer emphasized the need to "to strangle them economically until they see that's not the way to go, makes sense"

Read the whole story: Think Progress

Comments

[fortyfiveseventy]

10:53 AM on 06/30/2010

For ONCE Chucky and I actually agree. I would say that the Arabs in Gaza should be herded into the desert and the whole place bulldozed for new Israeli housing. bye bye problem.

[eileenflemingWAWA]

11:37 AM on 06/16/2010

RE: The Torah which Schumer refers to:

“From Moses to Jeremiah and Isaiah, the Prophets taught…that the Jewish claim on the land of Israel was totally contingent on the moral and spiritual life of the Jews who lived there, and that the land would, as the Torah tells us, ‘vomit you out’ if people did not live according to the highest moral vision of Torah. Over and over again, the Torah repeated its most frequently stated mitzvah [command]:

“When you enter your land, do not oppress the stranger; the other, the one who is an outsider of your society, the powerless one and then not only ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself’ but also ‘you shall love the other.’” -Rabbi Lerner, TIKKUN Magazine, page 35, Sept./Oct. 2007

God raised up Hebrew prophets to remind the people that:

“His thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”- Isaiah 55:8

God raised up prophets to admonish the “stiff necked people” [Exodus 34:9, Proverbs 29:1]

Because: “My people are fools, they do not know me! They are skilled in doing evil, they know not how to do good.”-Jeremiah 4:22

“What does God require? He has told you o’man! Be just, be merciful, and walk humbly with your Lord.” -Micah 6:8

[muck-raker]

11:33 AM on 06/16/2010

Looks like Chuckie boy Schumer and Jane Harman went to the same school

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/04/the_harman-aipac_story_a_timeline.php

[ipost]

03:13 PM on 06/14/2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe5O8NJ9tXU&

[ipost]

03:12 PM on 06/14/2010

Biden on Israel: "I'm a Zionist!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe5O8NJ9tXU&

[hottpotat0]

02:56 AM on 06/15/2010

forgive them for they know not what they do

[eileenflemingWAWA]

03:34 PM on 06/15/2010

My reply to Biden:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgoYo4P0Oxk

[godwithin]

12:47 PM on 06/14/2010

"don't believe in the Torah, in David"?

from wikipwdia:
In the Qur'an and in the Islamic tradition, David (Arabic داود, Dāwūd) is one of the prophets of Islam, to whom the Zabur (Psalms) were revealed by God. The Islamic tradition includes many elements from the Jewish history of David, such as his battle with the giant Goliath, but rejects the Biblical portrayal of David as an adulterer and murderer - the rejection is based on the goodness of the Prophets of God in Islam (fallible, but to an extent of minor and basic human error) and on the concept of ismah, or the infallibility of the prophets (according to Shia Islam). According to some, but not all Islamic traditions David was not from Judah but from Levi and Aron.[79]

David also appears in various Hadith (oral traditions derived from those who knew the Prophet Muhammad). In Sahih al-Bukhari and in Abd-Allah ibn Amr he is named as the person whose way of fasting and praying is the most perfect: "God's Apostle (Muhammad) said to me, "The most beloved fasting to God was the fasting of (the Prophet) David who used to fast on alternate days. And the most beloved prayer to God was the prayer of David who used to sleep for (the first) half of the night and pray for 1/3 of it and (again) sleep for a sixth of it." David was also given the most beautiful voice of all mankind.

[jwcmass]

02:37 PM on 06/14/2010

Thank you for that information. Fanned and Faved.

[joeinvt]

03:24 PM on 06/18/2010

Are you saying that the Palestinians are ignoring the Qur'an in how they view Israel and the Jews? That may be so if you are referring to the authors and endorsers of the Hamas Charter but seems like an unfair indictment of all Palestinians.

[godwithin]

05:02 PM on 06/18/2010

You need to question Chuck on what he is saying, not me.

[RKincaid]

11:57 AM on 06/14/2010

This story dropped off the front page really fast. Hmmmm....

[cannante]

08:55 AM on 06/14/2010

chuck schumer: anti semite

now i dont ever have to vote for this ethnic cleanser ever again.

ghandi: POVERTY is the worst form of violence.

[cincinnati]

03:14 AM on 06/14/2010

I've liked Schumer many times when speaking on health care, credit card, etc. reforms.
But he turns into a right wing MONSTER when his pet Israel is the issue.
No, still not as bad as virtually all in the GOP, but is that saying much?

Call Congress, and his office, and demand no more money for Israel. Why ?
Simple. Israel has a strong economy, it does not need our billions !!!
It's military has 100+ nukes, it does Not need any help.

We need the money here. And all the other mideast money, like $ 3 billion
to Egypt, mainly to help prop up their dictatorship and be friendly to Israel,
also let Saudi Arabia, etc. pick up that tab.

The US will be blamed in the Mideast, no matter what, if we help find
peace, if it takes longer than expected if there is progress, if there
are problems afterwards. And they all will want our money. So get
out, let them figure it out. We have enough problems here.

[alexis101]

08:06 PM on 06/14/2010

Israel is the only issue. Everything else is a smoke screen. Don't ever think otherwise, unless you want to play the fool.

[joeinvt]

03:27 PM on 06/18/2010

Well said.

[ConstitutionCrusader]

02:20 AM on 06/14/2010

And this isn't posted in the "NY" section of Huffington Post because... ??

[cincinnati]

03:15 AM on 06/14/2010

should be in both....and is there a "sell-out" section..?

[ConstitutionCrusader]

02:01 AM on 06/14/2010

Sen. Schumer needs to read "Judaism Does Not Equal Israel" by Marc h. Ellis. It is an amazing book, and it has a foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. I highly recommend it to anyone here!

[playsmanydrums]

09:06 PM on 06/13/2010

This is outrageous. I am ashamed to say that I am a NY democrat.

[Manchesterian]

10:19 PM on 06/13/2010

Will you get out the vote then?

[jwcmass]

02:47 PM on 06/14/2010

One is tempted to ask, "vote for whom?" For the GOP is not really any different on this issue. In many ways they are worse, for a big part of the GOP's base are Christian "dispenastionalists" who want to support the Israeli right (no deal with the Palestinians, building a Third Temple, etc.) based on their "end times" theologies and scenarios.

Just listen to Sarah Palin's views, and you will get what I am talking about.

The scary thing is there are millions who "think" like her. Most of them can be found in the GOP -- the evidence of their power in that party was made clear when Sen. McCain went crawling to John Hagee.

[cincinnati]

03:20 AM on 06/14/2010

thanks but have you called him...? and don't stop with one office, leave a message at
all of them, or stop in one....

although here obviously any Senator, Cong., affects my life, from taxes to WW 3
in the Mideast. So I called when Schumer forgot what his country was and backed
right wing [ !?!!! ] Israel over his own President [and fellow Dem ! ]

A nice girl answered my question about why we still ship billions to Israel with
the typical WW 2 point, victims, etc...it was so easy to politely tear that apart,
and she had no other reason....really !?

I can almost understand some pro-Israel Dem's that chose their words
carefully on this issue, but to crudely back this government that killed
over 1300 CIVILIANS in Gaza last year, including 330+ CHILDREN,
is NUTS !

[Perry Winkler]

07:21 PM on 06/13/2010

If practically every single product in the grocery store that you eat or drink is Kosher for the sake of 20million people in this country , then what do you think will happen to this guy? NOTHING.

Only people like Helen Thomas will go smeared accused of saying something she never said, while people like this sentator make elitist and inciteful comments against an innocent people

[mathew]

09:04 PM on 06/13/2010

NEW YORKERS IN SUPPORT OF 'BDS' MOVEMENT

http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/new-yorkers-in-support-of-bds-movement/

Barcodes beginning with 729 are made in occupied Palestine.

http://www.boycottwatch.org/

[Perry Winkler]

09:08 PM on 06/13/2010

Ive been boycotting 729 products since 2006 Lebanon war II. Also Hewlett Packard, Intel chips (I buy AMD CPU's only) and motorola cellulars, I also do not buy or drink Israeli wine, or jaffa oranges.

[Gelbert]

06:31 PM on 06/13/2010

These are the people that Senator Schumer wishes to starve.
Look at their faces. They want medical care, freedom to go to see relatives in Egypt and peace. Egypt makes them wait for up to three days if it lets them in at all. One woman also pictured has breast cancer, sought medical care in Israel and was DENIED care. Some humanitarians. You journalists that support this genocide have no shame. You are helping dehumanize the USA with your cowardice. Senator Schumer belongs in prison for his immoral and hateful behavior.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/11/gazans-pin-hopes-egypt-border

[JerryLevy]

11:32 AM on 06/14/2010

Why do these people want to keep fighting Israel to the death?

[AcaciaJules]

11:50 AM on 06/14/2010

They can die silently, or go out fighting. Either way, Israel will kill them.

[Jolicoeur1]

07:52 AM on 06/16/2010

With all the oil wealth and all the aid from the US, why can't sick Gazans go through the Egyptian border to first rate hospitals in the Arab world? I mean, Gaza is not launching rockets at them.

[EnMasse]

04:02 PM on 06/13/2010

Oh yeah - beat them until they like us. That'll do it, Schumer. The insensitivity here is stunning.

Hope this stuff isn't featured in the Arab press - that's all we need "Influential Jewish-American Senator Says Israel Must Starve Gaza Further." Wonder why they have such a beef with Israel...?

[Gelbert]

06:17 PM on 06/13/2010

Well said. Wiith friends like Senatur Schumer, the USA doesn't need enemies. Him and his pals are doing a fine job of destroying our country.

[Gelbert]

06:24 PM on 06/13/2010

Sorry for the typos.