The Likud party said that Israel is not a "banana republic" in response to comments by the U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer regarding the necessity of holding new elections in the Hebrew state.

The party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he is leading a policy that enjoys "broad public support," according to Reuters agency.

After Schumer’s statements, the Israeli ambassador to the United States said it is "not useful to comment on the local political scene of a democratic allied country."

Schumer had demanded that Israel hold new elections, saying he believes Netanyahu has "lost his way" in the Israeli bombing of Gaza Strip and the ongoing humanitarian crisis there.

Schumer, the first Jewish majority leader and the highest-ranking Jewish official in the United States, harshly criticized Netanyahu in a lengthy speech this morning Thursday in the Senate chamber.

In prepared remarks obtained by the Associated Press, Schumer said the Israeli prime minister has allied himself with an extreme right-wing coalition "and as a result, he was fully prepared to tolerate the civilian death toll in Gaza, which pushed global support for Israel to its lowest levels."

Schumer also affirmed that "Israel will not survive if it becomes isolated."

The speech comes as more Democrats have withdrawn their support for Israel, and President Joe Biden has publicly increased pressure on Netanyahu’s government, advising that attention must be paid to the increasing civilian casualties in Gaza.

The United States began this month dropping desperately needed humanitarian aid over the Strip and announced that it will establish a temporary dock to send more aid by sea.

So far, Schumer presents himself as a strong ally of the Israeli government. He visited the Jewish state days after the Hamas attack on October 7 and delivered a lengthy speech before the Senate in December denouncing "the brazen widespread anti-Semitism we haven’t seen for generations in this country, if ever."

However, he is expected to clarify that "the Israeli people are now shackled by a ruling vision stuck in the past."

Schumer also explains that Netanyahu, who has long opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, is one of many obstacles to the two-state solution supported by the United States.

He also points the finger at Israeli right-wingers, Hamas, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

He pointed out that even their exclusion from the equation, "there will be no peace in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank."

The U.S. State Department distanced itself from the statements of the U.S. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, saying Schumer’s calls for elections in Israel do not reflect the view of the Biden administration.

This is despite the fact that U.S. President Biden had previously said that Netanyahu "hurts Israel more than he helps it" in the way he is managing the war in Gaza, noting that the decisions he has made, which caused the killing of civilians, "are a big mistake."

In an interview with MSNBC channel, Biden considered that "Netanyahu has the right to defend Israel and continue attacking Hamas. But he must be more careful about the innocent lives lost due to the measures taken," adding "In my opinion, this harms Israel more than it benefits it."

Biden and his aides strongly urged Netanyahu not to launch a major attack in Rafah before Israel puts in place a plan for the mass evacuation of civilians from the last area in Gaza not yet invaded by ground forces. More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants shelter in the Rafah area.

The United States is Israel’s main supporter, but the Biden administration has recently delivered the sharpest criticisms of Israel since the war in Gaza began, including calling on Netanyahu’s government to take steps to increase aid to the Gaza Strip, which the United Nations says is at risk of famine.