Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an “obstacle” in a two-state solution between Israel and Gaza and said he should resign.
In an interview with RTÉ’s Six One News during a visit to Ireland, Pelosi spoke about the aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Netanyahu’s deadly counteroffensive that has left more than 34,000 Palestinians dead, according to local health officials.
“We recognize Israel’s right to protect itself. We reject the policy and the practice of Netanyahu,” she said. “Terrible. What could be worse than what he has done in response?”
“He should resign. He’s ultimately responsible,” she continued.
While criticizing Netanyahu’s leadership, Pelosi remained committed to supporting Israel because it has been the United States’s national security interest to do so, she said.
The former Speaker said Netanyahu has been a block to peace in the region “for years.”
“I don’t know whether he’s afraid of peace, incapable of peace, or just doesn’t want peace, but he has been an obstacle to the two-state solution,” Pelosi said. “I emphasize the word solution.”
Her remarks come just days after she and 365 lawmakers voted to pass a massive foreign aid package that sends money to Israel’s military.
Saturday’s House vote to send aid to Israel and Ukraine’s military, among other war-torn regions across the globe, came just over six months after Hamas attacked Israel, sparking the war in the Middle East.
The package included roughly $26 billion in aid for Israel, $9.2 billion of which will go toward global humanitarian aid. Many Democrats opposed the bill because it did not place conditions on aid for Jerusalem.
It was the third time that the House passed assistance for Israel. The package now sits in the Senate, where it’s expected to pass this week.