US President Joe Biden in the White House Image: AFP
Shortly before the vote on a key judicial reform law in Israel, US President Joe Biden called on the Israeli government to be willing to compromise. “It doesn’t make sense for the Israeli leadership to rush this,” Biden said.
Shortly before the vote on a key judicial reform law in Israel, US President Joe Biden called on the Israeli government to be willing to compromise. “It doesn’t make sense for the Israeli leadership to rush this – the goal should be to bring people together and find consensus,” Biden said in a statement first published by Axios and later shared by the White House with AFP.
“From the perspective of Israel’s friends in the United States, it looks like the current judicial reform proposal will result in more division, not less,” Biden said.
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, will vote Monday on one of the most controversial elements of judicial reform. With the so-called adequacy clause, the Supreme Court is to be deprived of the possibility of classifying government decisions as “inappropriate” and overriding them.
Critics fear that high-ranking government posts will be filled arbitrarily and that corruption will be fostered. Specifically, they suspect Netanyahu, who is the subject of corruption proceedings, of wanting to avert his conviction.
If the bill is passed, the “reasonableness” clause would be the first important part of the judicial reform. Other changes aim to give the government more say in the appointment of judges.
The judicial reform of the right-wing religious government is dividing the Israeli population, and people across the country have been protesting against the project for 29 weeks. Tens of thousands of his opponents also took to the streets nationwide at the weekend. In Jerusalem, demonstrators are camping out in tents in front of the Knesset to protest against the planned legislation.
The plans aim to reduce the powers of the judiciary and the supreme court and strengthen the powers of parliament and the prime minister. Critics fear for democracy in Israel as a result of the weakening of the judiciary. Proponents, on the other hand, argue that the balance in the separation of powers should be restored.
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