House GOP leaders call Schumer's Israel comments 'inappropriate,’ demand apology in impromptu press conference

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House Republican leaders are blasting Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and demanding he apologize for urging Israel to hold new elections while criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The top four GOP lawmakers held an impromptu press conference during their annual retreat this year at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, immediately after Schumer’s statement.

"As we were in a work session here within the last half hour, there was a buzz among the audience as people were seeing notices come across their phone as something that was rather shocking to us," Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said.

"We saw the remarks from Sen. Chuck Schumer calling for new elections in Israel. And we want to speak very clearly and concisely to say that this is not only highly inappropriate, but just plain wrong for an American leader to play such a divisive role in Israeli politics, while our closest ally in the region is in an existential battle for its very survival."

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House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Schumer’s comments were "disturbing" in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel, in which terrorists invaded the southern part of the country and killed over 1,200 people – mainly