Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is cutting short his trip to Asia so that he can return to the United States Thursday to focus on the crisis in Israel.
Schumer’s congressional delegation trip is cancelling a visit to Japan and returning early to allow the Democratic leader to be back in New York Thursday evening and to receive a classified briefing and updates on the Hamas attacks against Israeli civilians.
Schumer will also meet with community leaders and groups in Brooklyn, go to Shabbat services, and spend time reflecting with his family on the unfolding tragedy that has left more than 1,000 people dead.
“Following very productive meetings in China—including with President Xi – and in light of the tragic events unfolding in Israel, the bipartisan members of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s congressional delegation are moving up their meeting with South Korean President Yoon to Wednesday and will return to the US on Thursday. Leader Schumer will be back in New York Thursday evening,” said a spokeswoman for Schumer.
Schumer on Monday expressed his disappointment during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping over what he saw as China’s timid response to the brutal attacks against Israeli civilians, who were gunned down or taken hostage by Hamas militants.
China later updated its statement through a foreign ministry spokesperson to condemn “all violence and attacks on civilians.”
Schumer said he raised with Xi his concern about the “unfolding atrocities carried out against Israel and the need for the world community to stand together against terrorism.”
Members of Schumer’s bipartisan delegation, including Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Kennedy (R-La.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) spoke by phone with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to get an update on the situation in Israel.
The delegation also met Tuesday evening with a group of ambassadors from allied nations at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Beijing to urge allies to do everything they can to stand in solidarity with Israel.