Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down over the October 7 attack by Hamas. In an interview with Irish outlet RTÉ Monday, Pelosi criticized Netanyahu for security failures that led to the surprise assault, which killed an estimated 1,200 people, including 33 Americans.
“His intelligence person resigned, he should resign,” Pelosi told RTÉ’s “Six One” news program during a visit to Ireland. Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, Israel’s head of military intelligence, resigned Monday, saying his department “did not live up to the task we were entrusted with” and “I will carry the horrible pain of the war with me forever.”
Pelosi did not hesitate when asked if she believes Netanyahu has been an “obstacle” to peace in the Middle East. “Oh, he has been for years,” she said. “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. He’s been a problem.”
Pelosi’s comments echo a March 14 speech from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the highest-ranked elected Jewish official in the US, in which he said the Netanyahu government “no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7.” At the time, Pelosi hailed Schumer’s remarks as “an act of courage, an act of love for Israel.”
Despite her criticism, Pelosi emphasized Monday that Israel is a “friend” and that “it has been in our national security interest” to support the key US ally. She also praised House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for defying isolationist Republicans and securing foreign aid packages for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
“The speaker got the job done, and we’re glad,” she said. “I think he deserves some credit. I think it took some courage … because you have to understand in the Congress on the Republican side in the House, is a Putin caucus.”
