Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli launched a scathing rebuke of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Thursday, labeling him a “self-hating Jew” and branding him a “Palestinian” in light of Schumer’s support for Zohran Mamdani, a progressive Democrat who recently won a key primary in New York City.
Posting on X, Chikli said, “The phenomenon of Jews who hate their own people is a well-documented and recurring pattern throughout history. It’s called a self-hating Jew. The new form of antisemitism that’s no longer based on race, but rather on the denial of the Jewish people’s right to self-determination, has enabled some Jews to participate in the campaign of incitement and hatred against their nation.”
Chikli went further, arguing that Jewish Democrats in Congress are contributing to anti-Israel sentiment, singling out Schumer by name. “We see this with Jewish senators and members of Congress in the Democratic Party, such as the ‘Palestinian’ Chuck Schumer, who is promoting the candidacy of a Hamas fan advocating the globalization of the Intifada,” he wrote.
The minister also took aim at Haaretz, Israel’s left-leaning newspaper, accusing it of participating in the same brand of internal hostility, particularly for publishing pieces that accuse Israel of perpetrating genocide.
Chikli’s swipe at Schumer echoed remarks previously made by President Donald Trump. At a 2024 campaign event, Trump criticized Schumer in similar terms, telling supporters, “Look at a guy like Senator Schumer. I’ve known him a long time. I come from New York. He’s become a Palestinian. He’s a Palestinian now. Congratulations.”
Trump didn’t stop there. “He was very loyal to Israel and to Jewish people,” Trump added. “He’s Jewish, but he’s become a Palestinian, because they have a couple more votes or something.”
In another appearance on the campaign trail, Trump again blasted Schumer, saying the senator had “refused to shake the Prime Minister’s hand. Chuck Schumer has become a Palestinian.” He went on to say that Schumer “has become a proud member of Hamas.”
After Mamdani’s unexpected win in the Democratic primary last month, Schumer declined to speak out against the candidate’s radical views. Instead, he offered warm congratulations and expressed admiration for Mamdani’s political efforts. “I have known @ZohranKMamdani since we worked together to provide debt relief for thousands of beleaguered taxi drivers & fought to stop a fracked gas plant in Astoria,” Schumer wrote. “He ran an impressive campaign that connected with New Yorkers about affordability, fairness, & opportunity.”
Mamdani’s rise has sparked alarm in New York’s Jewish circles. Critics have pointed to his support for slogans like “globalize the Intifada”—widely interpreted as encouraging violence against Jews worldwide—his refusal to back Israel’s status as a Jewish state, and his opposition to bills denouncing Holocaust denial.
Interestingly, even Schumer himself has recognized the threat of that language. In a recently released book about rising antisemitism in America, Schumer addressed the expression head-on, writing: “Frequently used expressions such as ‘globalize the intifada’ sound to many of us like a call to not only kill the Jews in Israel, but to kill all the Jews worldwide.”
{Matzav.com Israel}