McCarthy hails Netanyahu as ‘great friend of the USA’ amid judicial reform turmoil
Ryan King
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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) affirmed his support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as turmoil over attempted judicial reform batters the U.S. ally.
McCarthy’s overture comes as President Joe Biden has publicly disparaged Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plans and revealed there are no “near term” plans to invite Netanyahu to the White House. The judicial reform measure has since been postponed until at least the summertime legislative session amid rampant backlash.
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“Prime Minister Netanyahu is an Israeli patriot, statesman, and most importantly, a great friend of the USA,” McCarthy tweeted. “Free societies have vigorous and open debate. Israel is no exception. I support @netanyahu, and America’s support for Israel’s strong, vibrant democracy is unwavering.”
https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy/status/1641496839076626432
Netanyahu championed an overhaul of that judiciary that would grant Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, the power to override Supreme Court rulings. Detractors stormed the streets, marching in protest. Discontent even seeped into the Israel Defense Forces, which saw soldiers threaten to refuse to serve.
Last week, Netanyahu’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant urged him to delay the move, and the Israeli government announced he would be booted from his post shortly thereafter.
Biden told reporters Tuesday that he was “very concerned” about the judicial reform plans and voiced hope that Netanyahu “walks away from” it. Netanyahu countered that Israel will make its own decisions based on “the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides clarified this week that the Biden administration intends to invite Netanyahu “as soon as their schedules can be coordinated.”
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In an about-face, Netanyahu agreed this week to hit pause on the plans, but he vowed to enact the overhaul “one way or another.” He has upheld the proposal as a means of strengthening democracy and argued it will make Israel more responsive to the will of the people.
“We welcome this announcement as an opportunity to create additional time and space for compromise. A compromise is precisely what we have been calling for,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters earlier this week in response to the halt. “We continue to strongly urge Israeli leaders to find a compromise as soon as possible.”