Netanyahu to Meet with Schumer Monday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer after his meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington, DC, on Monday.

Schumer, who was one of the few Democrats to oppose the Iran deal, told Jewish Insider he’ll tell the Israeli Prime Minister that all sides “can work together for Israel’s security.”

“We’re hopeful that we can get a very good agreement to enhance Israel’s military security superiority. I’m optimistic about that,” the NY Senator said. “Both sides talk like they want to heal the breach. Because, whatever you opinion of the president is, whatever you opinion of PM Netanyahu is; if you’re a lover of Israel you don’t want them to be at loggerheads. And, hopefully, they will come back together, to some extent.”

Schumer was presented Sunday morning with the Israel Advocacy Award by the COJO of Staten Island at their 48th annual legislative breakfast. After speaking in length about his decision to oppose the Iran nuclear deal, Schumer told the crowd, “I’ve had gotten some criticism, but because I believed I did the right thing, I haven’t had one day of regret about my decision.”

The Jewish Senator also claimed that President Obama is not getting enough credit for imposing tough sanctions on Iran. “In the Jewish community, we don’t give him enough credit when credit is due,” he said. “Iran didn’t come to the table on its own. We passed the sanctions – the WH was not for it, to be honest with you. But then, the WH got all the nations of the world to come to the table. [Obama] did that, he did that. And he deserves credit for that; we should give him credit for that – because Iran wouldn’t even be at the table without it.”

Netanyahu departed to DC on Sunday where he’s expected to speak at the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly and address conservative and liberal think tanks after meeting with the president in the Oval Office. “My conversation with the president will center on recent events in the Middle East, including in Syria, possible progress with the Palestinians, or at least stabilizing the situation with them, and, of course, strengthening the security of the State of Israel, which the US has always been committed to, while maintaining the State of Israel’s comparative advantage in the face of a changing Middle East and a cycle that changes less,” the prime minister said during opening remarks at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

Watch a video of Schumer’s remarks: